While there are a handful of islands to explore when visiting Channel Islands National Park, don't overlook the rich and intriguing resources of the Pacific Ocean when heading to the park.

During a recent trip to the islands Ryan Cooper filmed some common dolphins as they accompanied his boat to the park. Mr. Cooper, who posted the video at the LA Hiker website and agreed to share it with the Traveler, says he was hoping to spy humpback whales on the voyage, but wasn't disappointed to film the dolphins.

"They’re really quite small. Only 7-8 feet, but they look much smaller. With a kind of yellow hourglass criss-cross around their sides, they tend to form large herds of about 50," he wrote on LA Hiker. "In particular, they like to bow and wake surf around fast moving boats and these were no exception. In fact, they came racing out of the water as soon as they sensed we were near. I think boats serve as a kind of catnip for these animals and they really seemed as if they couldn’t get enough of it."

Enjoy the show!