They were hoping to spot a whale but instead these lucky tourists witnessed something even more breath-taking – a stampede of dolphins.
With the sun setting over the Californian ocean providing a beautiful backdrop, hundreds of dolphins raced through the water with the boat of whale watchers quick on their tail.
Stampede: Some lucky whale watchers witnessed a giant pod of dolphins cutting through the Californian ocean.
It is unclear what the school of dolphins were rushing towards – or away from.
The incredible sighting happened off the coast of Dana Point in California last week on a Dana Wharf whale watching tour.
Hundreds: The tour boat trailed the huge stampede of dolphins.
While this tour was especially memorable it seems that a whale or dolphin is sighted on every Dana Wharf tour, according to their website.
People taking the trip can expect to see six different types of whale, including killer whales, as well as common dolphins and bottlenose dolphins.