Dolphins Strand in California

2026. September 29. USA, California, Morro Bay, Cuesta Inlet and Shark Inlet. A mass stranding of 5 common dolphins (a mother, calf, and three adults) at Cuesta Inlet. As the tide dropped, four dolphins became stuck, and another adult beached at Shark Inlet. Conditions in the mudflats were too unsafe for responders to guide the animals out overnight. Three of the dolphins refloated the next morning. One dolphin died and was recovered for a necropsy. A fifth dolphin previously seen in nearby Shark Inlet was not spotted the following morning.

Marine Mammal Center