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Oz drone video captures epic dolphin pig-out of salmon mob

The Australian pilot vying to become the world’s favorite marine life play-by-play commentator has struck again. This time, he gleefully voices over his drone video footage of dolphins seriously pigging out on a gigantic school of salmon.

The mad Aussie drone pilot strikes again

Earlier this month DroneDJ cheered the work of pilot Jason Iggleden, who has drawn a large online following with his eye-in-the-sky videos of marine life mingling with one another – as well as unsuspecting humans. The aerial Aussie says he gets his craft aloft every day at dawn to take new morning footage of his recurring cast of seals, manta rays, sea turtles, and sharks (including a gray nurse he has named Norman) that discreetly wend their way amid clueless swimmers and surfers. In his new drone video, however, Iggleden features an all-oceanic crew of two different dolphin pods that suddenly spot, race to, and gorge on a huge school of salmon.

The footage was uploaded on Iggleden’s Dronesharkapp Instagram account on Friday after he captured the action earlier in the day just off Sydney’s Tamarama Beach. The five-minute video follows the dolphins as they catch sight of the giant group of lox just waiting to happen, then charge through the fish for what becomes a major nosh-a-thon.

Drone video also features dolphins among utterly unsuspecting humans

As usual in his videos, no textual description alone could do justice to footage Iggleden brings to life with his lively commentaries. “On the charge – they see the salmon, in their sights. Here they go,” he says as the dolphins suddenly take off. “Watch out salmon, they’re coming for you… Run, salmon, run!”

Despite the obvious sympathy for the fish about to become Flipper lunch, Iggleden can’t contain his excitement when the porpoises reach the salmon – which have pulled themselves into a dense, circular group in self-defense – and power-eat their way through the group.

“Oh, this is what we live for!” he shouts. “They’re going to push them into shore now and single them out. Munch-town!”

When the salmon spread out on reef, Iggleden seems to lose interest ­– but only because he’s found something else to focus on: a dolphin calf he goes gaga for. 

“You little cutie! You little dude!” he exclaims. “I love the little ones – look how tiny he is! He’s freshly born!” 

About three minutes into the drone video, a second pod of dolphins spots the salmon in the reef and speed toward them, feeding for a while before veering off.

“Is that it?” Iggleden asks. “You gotta have more of a go than that. Gonna go catch some waves instead.”

Elsewhere, the irrepressibly stoked pilot marvels again and again at the people swimming or surfing amid all the dolphin activity without ever spotting any of it. 

“Look behind you, dude!” he instructs a bodyboarder, who never realizes there are several porpoises so close by. “Oh, the things you miss!”

That’s not something anybody’s likely to say about Iggleden’s arial offerings. Good on him.

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Author

Avatar for Bruce Crumley Bruce Crumley

Bruce Crumley is journalist and writer who has worked for Fortune, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, The Guardian, AFP, and was Paris correspondent and bureau chief for Time magazine specializing in political and terrorism reporting. He splits his time between Paris and Biarritz, and is the author of novel Maika‘i Stink Eye.

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