{"id":1712,"date":"2021-05-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/main-bvxea6i-tdeoyxfdffv2e.us-3.platformsh.site\/common-dolphins-playground-laguna-beach\/"},"modified":"2024-02-24T06:39:40","modified_gmt":"2024-02-24T14:39:40","slug":"common-dolphins-playground-laguna-beach-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/blog\/common-dolphins-playground-laguna-beach-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Laguna Beach, the Common Dolphin’s Playground"},"content":{"rendered":"

They are the most abundant flippered friends that we encounter off Laguna Beach with over 400,000 dolphins found off the Southern California coastline. We often see them in large groups and a typical pod will number around 200 individuals, though sometimes we see them by the thousands!<\/p>\n

<\/iframe> <\/p>\n<p> <script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<h2>About Common Dolphins<\/h2>\n<p>Common dolphins average between 6-9 feet long and weigh between 200-300 pounds. They feed on small schooling fish like sardines and anchovies, as well as squid. There are two species of common dolphins: the long-beaked common dolphin and short-beaked common dolphin. They appear alike in many ways, but they differ slightly in size, coloration, and some characteristics. Both types of common dolphins have intricate coloration patterns and range from white\/yellow to gray\/black.<\/p>\n<p> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Common-Dolphin-3_Newport-Landing_844285ee339c9cdd414d98916d77d4f8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"card__img card__img--full\" title=\"\"> <\/p>\n<h2>Why Marine Protected Areas are Vital to Dolphins<\/h2>\n<p>The coast of Laguna Beach has three <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lagunaoceanfoundation.org\/marine-protected-areas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marine Protected Areas<\/a>, or conservation areas, which limit fishing and human activity to protect critical natural and cultural resources. MPAs are important because they protect the habitat of thousands of ocean species and offer opportunities for people to experience and study marine life that is undisturbed and truly wild. MPAs allow common dolphins to thrive by providing a clean, healthy habitat with abundant food. <\/p>\n<p> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Common-Dolphins-6_newport-landing_844285ee339c9cdd414d98916d77d4f8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"card__img card__img--full\" title=\"\"> <\/p>\n<h2>Acrobatic “Shows” in the Wild<\/h2>\n<p>While occasionally spotted from shore, common dolphins are sighted almost every day of the year on-board <a href=\"http:\/\/newportwhales.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Newport Landing and Davey\u2019s Locker Whale Watching<\/a> vessels out of Newport Beach. Common dolphins are extremely friendly and social and will frequently come right over to the boat to bow ride and surf in the boat wake. They are hugely acrobatic and sometimes will suddenly launch out of the water in a spectacular leap, landing with a big splash. Seeing dolphins in their natural habitat is a thrilling and unforgettable experience!<\/p>\n<p> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/common-dolphin-jumping_newport-landing_844285ee339c9cdd414d98916d77d4f8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"card__img card__img--full\" title=\"\"> <\/p>\n<h2>The Best Time to See Common Dolphins<\/h2>\n<p>Common dolphins can be seen <strong>year-round<\/strong> and with no specific breeding season, there is always the chance to glimpse an adorable baby dolphin! Throughout the year we have the chance to see larger marine mammals off our shores as well. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Winter<\/strong> and s<strong>pring<\/strong> provide the best chances to catch <a href=\"http:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/blog\/gray-whale-migration\/\">gray whales<\/a> on their migration, and throughout the <strong>summer<\/strong> and <strong>fall<\/strong> we have the opportunity to view charismatic humpback whales, giant blue whales, magnificent fin whales, two other species of dolphins, sea lions, and more incredible ocean life!<\/p>\n<p> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Common-Dolphin-1_newport-landing_844285ee339c9cdd414d98916d77d4f8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"card__img card__img--full\" title=\"\"> <\/p>\n<p><em>Sponsored by Newport Whales, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/newportwhales.com\/\" data-kmt=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">newportwhales.com<\/a> to book whale watching tickets and for more information about ocean life and conservation in Southern California.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Common dolphins are so much fun, they should be called extraordinary dolphins!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":1724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[87,45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-common-dolphins","category-outdoor-adventure"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1712"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1712\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1722,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1712\/revisions\/1722"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitlagunabeach.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}