Dolphins often follow boats and bow-ride as it’s not only fun, but also an efficient way to travel
“Our two most abundant dolphins, common and bottlenose, often bow-ride, but we see the latter species doing it more frequently since it spends more time inshore,” says Peter Evans, founder of the Sea Watch Foundation.
Why do dolphins ride bows?
“It’s an energy-efficient way to travel because the flow of water assists the animals, yet it’s mainly a form of play.”
As with children, however, the game can get competitive. “Dolphins jostle to ride the wave,” Peter explains.
“Adult males may push others away quite aggressively. Several females might stay on a bow wave happily enough, but if a couple of males turn up they will barge in and take over.”
It is usually possible to tell that these more boisterous dolphins are adult males from their battle-worn bodies: “The scars, nicks in their fins and tooth-rake marks bear witness to past fights with rivals.”
You may even get to see groups of bottlenose dolphins bow-riding together. “I recently watched about 30 near Anglesey,” says Peter.
“We were in a catamaran, which is perfect since its wide, square bow enables half-a-dozen dolphins to be at the front at once.”