Watch: Wild dolphin entertains boaters in Tacoma’s Commencement Bay
They call him Cinco — a gregarious long-beaked common dolphin that has been making a splash in Commencement Bay this week.
Cinco spent part of his day Sunday swimming circles around a pleasure boat off Schuster Parkway and leaping into the air.
Dolphins aren’t native to Washington’s waters. They’re 21st century arrivals.
The young male dolphin arrived in Puget Sound in 2016 with 15 others. He might be the only one left of his group, said Olympia-based Cascadia Research Collective research biologist Dave Anderson.
The Collective gave him the Spanish word for five because he was the fifth dolphin added to their photo-ID catalog.
Cinco has been living in the waters south of the Tacoma Narrows since his arrival. On Sunday, he was spotted by boater Joan Mell.
Mell, a Fircrest attorney, was making the inaugural journey in her new 25-foot motorboat with family and friends when they saw Cinco near the grain elevator facility on Schuster Parkway. The dolphin made a beeline for Mell’s boat.
The boat’s driver, Glenda Nissen, immediately shut off the engine. For the next 15 minutes, Cinco circled the boat and jumped repeatedly into the air.
“He liked the people,” Mell said. “He was entertaining us, jumping multiple times.”
Nissen is a 17-year veteran of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department marine services division. She has seen dolphins twice before.
“I’ve never seen one like that, just jumping around and playing all by itself,” Nissen said. “That was a unique and a pretty neat treat to see.”
Biology class
Until the early 2000s, long-beaked common dolphins were rarely sighted north of Monterey, California. In 2016, during a warm water “blob” off the West Coast, Cinco and friends came to Puget Sound, Anderson said.
Harbor porpoises are native to Puget Sound but are smaller than dolphins and generally not attracted to boats.
Dolphins, like orcas, can be identified by markings, usually on their dorsal fins. In Cinco’s case, he’s often identified by his behavior as well, Anderson said.
Cinco is attracted to vessels. Like many dolphins, he likes to surf in the wakes that boats make. But Cinco is known for making three leaps into the air in a row, landing on his side, near boats. He also likes to flick his tail while in the air.
“When we’re out on the water, and we see someone doing that, it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s Cinco,’” Anderson said.
Scientists don’t know why dolphins have decided to take up residency in Puget Sound, Anderson said. Theories include changes in climate and food availability.
Anderson also doesn’t know why Cinco, at least temporarily, has made Tacoma his new base.
The Marine Mammal Protection Act, which keeps whales safe, also applies to dolphins. Boaters must maintain a 50-yard distance from them.
Because dolphins are attracted to boats, it’s safer for skippers moving at cruising speed to maintain their direction and speed if a dolphin should start playing in a boat’s wake, Anderson said.
If a boat is moving slowly when a dolphin intercepts it, the operator should cut their engines, Anderson said.
On Wednesday, Nissen spotted Cinco again, this time just off shore from Rock The Dock Pub & Grill. He was, reportedly, up to his usual antics.
Anderson asked that sightings of Cinco be reported to him at DAnderson@cascadiaresearch.org or by phone to Cascadia Research at 800-747-7329.
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 5:10 AM.
