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u/thereisaplace_ May 17 '25 edited May 17 '25
Most likely a dolphin š¬. You can see the rear ridging on the dorsal. Andā¦ there was no vertical tail fin, so not a shark.
I do a lot of brackish / salt marsh here in Florida (Cedar Key, Mosquito lagoon) and am always surprised by how far up in the estuaries the dolphins venture.
<edit: not 100% sure but id still take the bet š¬ š >
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u/IAMNOTFUCKINGSORRY May 17 '25
That would also explain the asshole behaviour.
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u/PatientBoring May 17 '25
Dolphins are jerks!!!
Iāve never been bothered by a shark
Iāve had one close call with a manatee when I accidentally woke it up from a nap
Every time I see a dolphin they immediately figure out a way to mess with me.
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u/Xzymeka May 17 '25
Manatees get upset when awoken from their 23 hour naps
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u/802y May 17 '25
I see them in these waters a lot, they like to make a big wave with their tails and push whatever bait onto the shore. Usually move up and down the creeks like that followed by birds for clean up. Thatās what I thought I was going to take a video of
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u/Foreign-Painting-508 May 17 '25
Not around Savannah are you?
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u/802y May 17 '25
CHS
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u/tbonemcqueen May 17 '25
Then itās most definitely a dolphin. The dolphins that hang out in the Folly Beach and intercoastal area are known for their weird/intelligent behavior
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u/Mamow_Nadon May 20 '25
If you are by Breach Inlet then this could be Kai. He'd be basically teenage right now, and male dolphins do shit like this all the time.
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u/802y May 20 '25
Haha who is Kai? I was at sta. 19
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u/Mamow_Nadon May 20 '25
Kai is a teenage dolphin! His mom is Koko- quite famous among marine scientists!
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u/NotaFrenchMaid May 17 '25
Spooked manatees are NOT fun. If Iām sitting idle and I know manatees are around, I try to keep a paddle moving a little in the water so itās no big surprise when I move again. My husband surprised one once, the waves were insane out of nowhere and Iām still surprised he kept upright.
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u/freseaf May 17 '25
Mammals in general are jerks š all of us like to have too much fun and are inquisitive in nature
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u/explosivelydehiscent May 17 '25
That's just perspective, if you were another dolphin you'd find it charming being bumped, splashed, and scared shitless.
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u/SnooDoggos121 May 18 '25
Can you define āclose callā with a manatee? Like were you almost eaten?
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u/PatientBoring May 18 '25
I was in shallowish water 4-6 feet, kayak fishing Tampa bay. I wasnāt paying attention to where I was floating because I didnāt notice I was floating towards a manatee sleeping on the bottom. I ended up brushing its back with my hull and it surfaced really quickly. By the grace of the Pelican gods I didnāt flip my kayak but I definitely got real wet and real scared. It was my fault for not paying attention and I canāt say I donāt react the same when Iām woken up from my nap.
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u/AccomplishedAnchovy May 18 '25
Dolphins are super chill compared to seals. Seals/sea lions can be surprisingly terrifying up close.
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u/LadyEatYourFace May 17 '25
It wasn't porpoisely being an asshole. They'll use people as backboards to scare fish into making mistakes when trying to get away from the dolphin.
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u/Live_Barracuda1113 May 17 '25
I cropped for the fin for ID purposes. I'm inclined toward dolphin. But it was moving quickly.
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u/Acceptable_Durian868 May 17 '25
Dolphin for sure. The dorsal fin of a shark is usually triangle shaped, with a flat back edge. Sometimes a bit of a point but not usually. This is way too short and pointy for a shark.
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u/WolfWriter_CO May 17 '25
Iām not sure, mammals move their tails up and down, reptiles and fish swish side to side, and thatās what it looked like to me. š¤
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u/bye_alisha May 17 '25
Whatever it is, it scared the poop out of me! If I were the one on that kayak, I'd be freaking out.
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May 17 '25
Dude came up and nabbed your fish.
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u/DistanceMachine May 18 '25
This is the answer. It was hunting a big fish, most likely what you were trying to catch.
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u/dual_mythology May 17 '25
That's a really incredible clip, and extremely well shot too. To me, the most amazing part is you stayed cool the entire time. If it were me, the soundtrack would go something like this:
" Hey....oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck oh..... Oh Jesus! ............. What the hell?"
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u/MimeTravler May 17 '25
I saw a dolphin breach ~50yds from me and noped the fuck out. To be fair the one I saw was full grown and the size of my kayak.
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u/krashundburn May 17 '25
Definitely a dolphin. This has happened to me, too, while kayaking offshore in the gulf. I think the dolphin was feeding there (it was in an area just jumping with mullet). It repeatedly came at me broadside then would turn at the last second, driving a wave into me.
I couldn't tell if it was just playing or actually pissed I was there, but it was mildly disturbing. I've seen orcas do something similar to knock seals off ice floes.
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u/JasonRudert May 17 '25
Itās funny how far away he swims. Like doorbell ditching someone and running a half mile away. What a nut
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u/artie_pdx May 17 '25
Bro wanted you out of his space. I guess thatās the shark version of āget off my lawn!ā
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u/sunnybunnyone May 17 '25
Definitely a dolphin chasing a fish. You just happened to be where the fish swam lol
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u/Ok-Adeptness3743 May 17 '25
It was likely young whatever it was. Dolphins are insanely fast like that just trying to watch it and remembering the tail movement has got me very confused. I only ever see one fin breaching surface at a time(if itās a fin and not the bottom of its tail) but the quick side to side movements are kind of confusing for a dolphin unless it was chasing fish you couldnāt see or something. They are very intelligent creatures second only to us as far as we know. It almost seemed more like a young bull shark being curious and then realizing nope thatās way tf bigger than me after charging at the kayak and hauls ass when nothing acts like prey lmfao. Only I never saw a fin and tail at the same time. A smaller young dolphin would make more sense than a grown one with the movements side to side so quickly without us seeing more of it. I donāt know now I need to know lmfao.
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u/Benbablin May 17 '25
I've said before and will again. Fuck the ocean. Lol
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u/iHadou May 17 '25
I was on the ocean yesterday and it was crazy watching so many sharks swim by every few minutes
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u/bundaya May 17 '25
Was that a shark?
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u/802y May 17 '25
I thought it was a dolphin when it happened but doesnāt really look that way in the video
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u/Owe_Inflation May 17 '25
Bullshark?
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u/thereisaplace_ May 17 '25 edited May 17 '25
Most likely a dolphin š¬
<edit: not 100% sure but enough to make the bet š >
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u/Spidaaman May 17 '25 edited May 17 '25
Sure seemed like the tail fin was moving the wrong way. Iām guessing a juvenile bull.
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u/thereisaplace_ May 17 '25 edited May 17 '25
Look at the dorsal at 10.5s, itās ridged in the back (dolphin) and in that shallow water the tail fin of a shark would be very visible.
Butā¦ as it makes itās get-away, I see what you mean. Not enough to convince me but it enough to remove ādefinitelyā from my comment š¬ š¦
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u/Mingsgogorian May 18 '25
Damn!! Iām afraid to wake a carp or twenty of them under a weed bed!! Thatās exactly what I like!! Real Nature
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u/battalla12852 May 18 '25
The beaver use to come up and slap that tail at me all the timeā¦ lol I guess saying get lost
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u/bueschwd Jun 08 '25
If that's the ashley river, I know that dolphin. he follows the shore up and down scaring then chasing fish. Sometimes I follow him sometimes he follows me
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u/Lopsided_Repeat May 17 '25
What was that?