Video of large dolphin pod from 2020, not Tropical Storm Hilary in California | Fact check

Isabella Fertel, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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The claim: Video shows dolphins swimming away from Hurricane Hilary

An Aug. 22 Instagram post (direct link, archived link) features a video of a large pod of dolphins swimming alongside a boat.

“Earlier today, shot off the coast of San Diego,” reads the post’s caption. “Dolphins swimming away from Hurricane Hilary’s path.”

The post was liked 3,000 times in six days. Other versions of the post continue to circulate on X, formerly known as Twitter, and TikTok.

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Our rating: False

The video used in the post was originally taken and posted in October 2022. The footage and phenomenon are unrelated to Tropical Storm Hilary.

Video of dolphin pod months old

Tropical Storm Hilary was downgraded from hurricane status before hitting California on Aug. 20, causing heavy rainfall and flooding in the southern part of the state.

However, the video has nothing to do with that – or any – storm.

The footage used in the posts was originally posted to Instagram by Legacy Whale Watch, a whale-watching tour company based in San Diego, on Oct. 5, 2022.

On social media, Legacy Whale Watch credited the video to a photographer, who also posted the footage to Instagram on Oct. 15, 2022.

Fact check: Big wave surfing video predates Tropical Storm Hilary

Common dolphins like the animals seen in the video “are often found in large herds of hundreds or even thousands,” according to the American Cetacean Society. “They are noted for riding bow and stern waves of boats, often changing course to bow-ride the pressure waves of fast-moving vessels and even large whales.”

Traveling in such large pods compensates for individual dolphins’ smaller body size and allows the cetaceans to socialize, hunt and stay safe from predators, according to the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

Multiple other videos of large pods of dolphins swimming in the ocean are visible on the Legacy Whale Watch’s Instagram and website.

USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram user who shared the post for comment but they did not provide any evidence for their claim.

The AFP also debunked this claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video of dolphin pod predates Tropical Storm Hilary | Fact check