WATCH: Dolphin stampede captured in rare footage

A whale watching trip off the coast of Southern California was treated to a spectacular display by an enormous pod of dolphins, "stampeding" through the water.

A group of lucky tourists on Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari in Dana Point, Calif., experienced unusual stampede behavior, in which several sub-pods of dolphins come together "like a herd of wild horses."

"This has happened twice recently though it is very rare," Capt. David Anderson can be heard saying in the video. "The line of wild dolphins could be seen from miles away churning up the water and, to the delight of whale watching passengers, the dolphins turned and stampeded directly over to the boat."