Pantropical Spotted Dolphin

(Stenella attenuata)

The Pantropical Spotted Dolphin loves to play and that’s how we encountered this bunch in Costa Rica’s Golfo Dulce. They energetically rode the bow wave in front of our boat, lingering just below the surface and weaving back and forth with incredible speed. Behind the boat, in our wake, large groups were surfing the waves and leaping into the air!

The Pantropical Spotted Dolphin isn’t born spotted; the young develop their spots over time. They tend to congregate in large groups, occasionally as many as a thousand!

Watch this video to see Pantropical Spotted Dolphins riding our bow wave and wake, and some underwater footage of their high-speed maneuvers. (If you want to get right to the dolphins they are at the end!)

Photographed in the Golfo Dulce (Dulce Gulf) near the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica.