Dolphin stampede captured near Newport Beach's sightseeing tour boat

Hundreds of dolphins were seen ‘stampeding’ alongside a whale-watching tour group off the shore of Newport Beach, California.

The Newport Coastal Adventure tour boat was travelling at around 10 knots alongside the pod on Tuesday, November 12, the group told Storyful in a release.

The behavior is what they call stampeding, or porpoising, when dolphins swiftly rise above the surface of the water.

“The reasons why dolphin stampede is unknown, but some experts say that it may be to avoid a predator, or possibly to get to an area where there is more food,” the group said.