Watch as around 30 dolphins put on a show close to shore on Costa del Sol

Eugenio Cabezas

Torrox

Monday, 21 April 2025, 15:06

A large pod of dolphins, estimated to contain around thirty cetaceans, surprised bathers and walkers at midday this Monday who were on or passing by Wilches beaches, on the border between the Costa del Sol municipalities of Nerja and Torrox.

Although it is not uncommon to see pods of dolphins near the coast of Malaga province, especially when out at sea sailing in boats, it is not so common to see them hunting and so very close to a beach, chasing a large shoal of fish, which they cornered against the shoreline, giving themselves a real 'feast', as SUR has been able to witness and record.

The spectacle of nature was captured and enjoyed by around a dozen people, who with their cameras and mobile phones did not hesitate to record the scene, which lasted for more than ten minutes. The marine mammals gradually moved away from the shore, continuing their pursuit of the fish. Flocks of seagulls also joined in the spectacle, trying to take advantage of the cetaceans' hunting strategies.

Some of the fish being chased jumped out of the water, being picked up and returned to the sea by some of the eyewitnesses of this true spectacle that nature and the sea offered at around noon this Easter Monday.

The marine biologist and president of the Aula del Mar Mediterráneo Foundation (FAMM), Juan Antonio López , explained to SUR, after viewing the images captured by this newspaper, that «they look like common dolphins, that is to say, 'Delphinus delphis'. »The fish we don't know for sure, but they likely will be a school of mackerel or sardines, but the fishing sector can tell us better what they are catching now,« he added.

A similar episode happened just over a year ago in Rincón de la Victoria. On that occasion it was a local resident, Markéta Závodská, who captured the special moment. The images caused a great deal of surprise in the eastern Costa del Sol town due to the sighting of a pod of dolphins so near to the coast. «It was one of the most beautiful moments I have experienced since I arrived in Spain, I never thought I would see them so close again,» said the resident, who captured the group of mammals leaping next to a boat on video.

«I have been living in Rincón for a few months now, and after a difficult start here in Spain, this has been one of the most beautiful moments,» Závodská said at the time. «I didn't think I would ever see dolphins so close to the beach. The last time was in the Maldives,» she said, delighted with her experience in Malaga.

Whale and dolphin spotting on the Costa del Sol is not uncommon, but it is usually at a greater distance from the beaches. In fact, there are companies that offer boat trips to enjoy this experience from marinas and fishing ports such as Caleta de Vélez, Malaga city, Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Marbella and Estepona.