According to NOAA, Southern California has the greatest density of dolphins in the world. There are reportedly pods up to 10,000 dolphins stampeding like buffalo on dryland in the American West or wildebeests in Africa.
A stampede is a situation where a group of animals move in the same direction, either on dryland or in the open water. If a swimmer in the Catalina Channel were swimming in the path of a stampede of hundreds or thousands of dolphins, what should they do?
Bruckner Chase advises, “Keep swimming. Dolphins know where there bodies are within less than an eighth of an inch. They don’t hit anything they don’t mean to hit. This happened to me in Monterey Bay. Dolphins covered the horizon and swam right at me.”
Tina Neill advises, “Embrace the experience. Swimmers must realize how insignificant we truly are out in the ocean.”
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.
