Leaping Dolphins

Any time is a happy time when you watch Bottlenose Dolphins gracefully swimming along the coastline in small pods, breaching the water every so often. Sometimes quite close to the shore.

Watching from my balcony, there was a day a few seemed to be having some fun, leaping as they moved along. They kept doing it, so I decided to grab my camera and see if I could anticipate the next location of a leap.

(Photos are heavily cropped and definitely not my best….but are fun!)

Adult Bottlenose Dolphins average 10-14 feet long and about 1100 lbs.

They can reach speeds 20-22 mph and can breach up to 20 feet out of the water, landing with a splash.

Here we go!

That sure looked like fun to me!

You can’t help but smile and feel happy after watching Bottlenose Dolphins enjoying life and freedom.

Tags: bottlenose, breach, Dolphin, leap, nature, photo, photographs, photography, photos, South Carolina, wildlife

48 thoughts on “Leaping Dolphins”

Beth on 01/20/2018 at 10:29 AM said:

They are superb Donna! I wish I could see them from my house!!! Enjoyed them all 🙂

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/20/2018 at 10:50 AM said:
  
  Thanks Beth! I’m actually on vacation so to speak, and have a 4th floor waterfront view. I’m having a great time just photographing from it! 🙂
  
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  - Beth on 01/20/2018 at 10:59 AM said:
    
    Wonderful 😊 Enjoy the view, we are enjoying your shots, thank you 🐬🦈🐳
  - bayphotosbydonna on 01/20/2018 at 11:21 AM said:
    
    They mentioned locally that a whale was seen. I’ve been watching for him ever since, but no sighting yet!! 🙂
  - Beth on 01/20/2018 at 11:22 AM said:
    
    I hope you will Donna 😊
shutterbug on 01/20/2018 at 10:33 AM said:

How fun! What a joy it must be to watch them 😊

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/20/2018 at 10:51 AM said:
  
  It is, I could watch them for hours! 🙂
  
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Tuxedo Sophisticated Cat on 01/20/2018 at 10:52 AM said:

It looks like it is enjoying itself. What fun.

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1nmbirder on 01/20/2018 at 11:31 AM said:

Looks fun to me too!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/20/2018 at 11:51 AM said:
  
  Thanks Kelly!
  
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avian101 on 01/20/2018 at 12:08 PM said:

Great captures Donna! 🙂

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Stephen Talabac on 01/20/2018 at 1:38 PM said:

Terrific action captures Donna!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/20/2018 at 7:20 PM said:
  
  Thanks Steve!
  
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Susan Hale on 01/20/2018 at 1:53 PM said:

Wow – cropped or not, these are amazing photos! Lucky you, that you can see these from your balcony. The fact that you were able to catch them in action shows your great reflexes! Thanks for sharing!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/20/2018 at 7:22 PM said:
  
  Thanks Susan, it was a lot of fun! Even hubby gets excited when he sees them. I obtained local info that a whale has been seen. I’ve got my eye out for that one, lol.
  
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kathydoremus on 01/20/2018 at 2:06 PM said:

This post was a treat! I love dolphins!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/20/2018 at 7:23 PM said:
  
  Glad you enjoyed it, I love dolphins too!
  
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blhphotoblog on 01/20/2018 at 3:02 PM said:

Brilliant, great captures!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/20/2018 at 7:23 PM said:
  
  Thanks Brian!
  
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aussiebirder on 01/20/2018 at 5:02 PM said:

Beautiful creatures they are Donna, you have captured their playful character very well. Love going out on dolphin and whale watches, you always get treated to surprises as these guys are so unpredictable and you never know when or where they will show up. The Common Dolphin, a deep sea dolphin, (if it can be called that) is another performing dolphin that always brings excitement to us because it does synchronized swimming and breaching. Lovely pics. Enjoy your weekend!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/20/2018 at 7:26 PM said:
  
  Thank you Ashley! I’ve never gone whale watching but would love too, maybe some day. Many years back when we boated the southern most portion of the Maryland Chesapeake Bay, we did once have a few dolphins join alongside our ride, almost like they were racing us. It was memorable!
  
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A Curious Introvert on 01/20/2018 at 5:15 PM said:

Great shots and how wonderful that you can watch this from your balcony!🙂

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/20/2018 at 7:27 PM said:
  
  Thanks so much! I’m enjoying them and any birds that fly right by me. 🙂
  
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Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog on 01/20/2018 at 6:36 PM said:

Joyous jumping! Great and wonderful shots, Donna! 🙂

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/20/2018 at 7:28 PM said:
  
  Thanks Tom, love that ‘joyous jumping’ comment, it was exactly how it looked! 🙂
  
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Sue on 01/20/2018 at 8:23 PM said:

What great photos Donna, they certainly do look like they’re having fun. And you are absolutely right, you can’t help but smile when you see dolphins playing. 🙂

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/21/2018 at 8:05 AM said:
  
  I’m glad I made you smile too! 🙂
  
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montucky on 01/20/2018 at 10:24 PM said:

Terrific photos!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/21/2018 at 8:07 AM said:
  
  Thanks Terry!
  
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Ellen Jennings on 01/20/2018 at 11:17 PM said:

Oh, what fun! Glad you got to see them and get those out of water action shots.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/21/2018 at 8:07 AM said:
  
  Both they and me had fun! 🙂
  
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Gunta on 01/21/2018 at 12:40 AM said:

Got me smiling, for sure! 😀

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/21/2018 at 8:07 AM said:
  
  Yay, I’m glad I made you smile too! 🙂
  
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circadianreflections on 01/21/2018 at 8:36 AM said:

Beautifully timed and wonderful images! They sure do make the heart sing when you see them. Thanks for the morning smiles!

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/21/2018 at 8:50 AM said:
  
  Thanks Deborah, glad I made you smile! 🙂
  
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niasunset on 01/21/2018 at 10:16 AM said:

They are so lovely, and to see them is a kind of Good Luck, amazing shots dear Donna, especially the first one is great image for me. Thank you dear, Love, nia

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/21/2018 at 4:15 PM said:
  
  Thanks Nia, they always look like they are smiling, definitely brightens my day. So glad you liked them! 🙂
  
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Jet Eliot on 01/21/2018 at 10:55 AM said:

Thank you so much for bringing us the joy of watching these dolphins, Donna. You’re right, it brings such happiness to see these leaping wonders. Gorgeous blue waters, too. Some of them were really leaping high too, what luck! Fantastic post, thank you.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/21/2018 at 5:08 PM said:
  
  Thank you, Jet, for your visit and comments. I am happy you enjoyed the dolphins! They are beautiful wonders, and smile-makers. 🙂
  
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tanjabrittonwriter on 01/21/2018 at 6:47 PM said:

There is that balcony again, Donna. I am envious! 😊

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/22/2018 at 8:25 AM said:
  
  I don’t get much exercise with the balcony, but….. 🙂
  
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Rick Bailey on 01/23/2018 at 1:31 PM said:

Fun photos! They so fun to watch.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 01/24/2018 at 8:16 PM said:
  
  Thanks Rick, glad you enjoyed the fun!
  
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neihtn2012 on 02/03/2018 at 9:52 AM said:

Such great captures, Donna. The best I have ever seen of dolphins in the wild.

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- bayphotosbydonna on 02/03/2018 at 8:01 PM said:
  
  Thank you Hien! 🙂
  
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lovetravelc on 07/02/2018 at 8:47 AM said:

I agree! When ever I see dolphins I am full of joy and happiness! The same happiness I feel when I am with my dog! Will you check out my blog and give me some feedback?

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- bayphotosbydonna on 07/02/2018 at 9:49 AM said:
  
  Thank you! I am a big dog lover, although we don’t have one now. I miss my black lab, Shadow, but my memories still bring me happiness! Thanks for stopping by, I’ll check out your blog!
  
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  - lovetravelc on 07/02/2018 at 9:50 AM said:
    
    Thanks!