A whale watching trip out of Dana Point, California, was treated to an amazing spectacle on August 9, as hundreds of dolphins raced alongside their boat, jumping out of the water as they went.

Footage from Captain Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Watching Safari shows the amazing sight.

In its social media posts about the video, the tour operator described the event as a “dolphin stampede”. They said dolphins jump from the water because it’s the “fastest mode of travel,” with “less resistance in the air than in water.”

“It is not known exactly what causes common dolphins to stampede,” they said. “It’s thought that the dolphins could be evading a predator such as orcas, racing to catch a food source, or meeting up with another pod of dolphins.” Credit: Dolphinsafari.com via Storyful