Dolphin pod puts on ‘acrobatic display’ off Haifa shore

Some 15 dolphins, including mothers and calves, were spotted on Tuesday in Israel’s coastal waters during a new exploration project of Haifa University.

The project was led by Aviad Scheinin through the university’s Morris Kahn Marine Research Station at the Charney School of Marine Sciences, in collaboration with environmental NGO Delphis.

“I’ve been researching bottlenose dolphins in Israel for the past 25 years, but I’ve never witnessed such an acrobatic display,” the researcher related on his Facebook account on Thursday.

The unique encounter occurred some 10 nautical miles from Haifa Bay, according to Scheninin.

The exploration team was mapping the deep waters off Haifa and the seaward extension of the Carmel Ridge in order to better understand the region’s unique ecosystem when the pod of dolphins showed up.

“The pod exhibited rich social behavior, including group resting and continuous jumping displays,” said Sheinin, according to local Hebrew outlet Colbo.

“These findings reinforce the understanding that the Carmel slopes area serves as an important habitat for marine mammals in Israel’s deep waters, and highlight the importance of continuing research, documentation and protection of this unique region.”