Think of it as the anti-Carnival Triumph experience.

Last week, a group of tourists on a boat off the coast of San Diego were treated to a sight both unusual and awesome—a "superpod" of dolphins.

Footage taken from the deck of the ship shows thousands of dolphins elegantly leaping above the waves. KFMB San Diego reports the superpod was estimated to be around seven miles wide and five miles long. Experts believe there were thousands of the marine mammals swimming and soaring together.

Why so many? Monica DeAngelis of the National Marine Fisheries Service spoke with KFMB about the spectacle. She believes the superpod had recently congregated on a "prey patch" of fish and squid. The dolphins, she explained, likely got word out through echolocation (biological sonar).

In other words, like an out-of-control high school party, one dolphin told a friend, who told a friend, who told a friend. Boom, next thing you know—superpod.