The Whale Sea Travel vessel encounters a pod of common dolphins swimming off the Jangsaengpo coast in Nam-gu, Ulsan, in the first such sighting of the year. [Provided by Ulsan Nam-gu Office]
The Whale Sea Travel vessel encounters a pod of common dolphins swimming off the Jangsaengpo coast in Nam-gu, Ulsan, in the first such sighting of the year. [Provided by Ulsan Nam-gu Office]

The Whale Sea Travel vessel, operated by the Ulsan Nam-gu Urban Management Corporation, spotted a pod of about 200 common dolphins Friday at 3:20 p.m. in waters 17 kilometers southeast of Jangsaengpo.

It was the first dolphin sighting since the vessel began regular service on March 28. Passengers aboard that day watched the dolphins swim vigorously for about 20 minutes.

The Whale Sea Travel vessel operates out of Jangsaengpo in Nam-gu, Ulsan, running 14 trips a week — 12 whale-watching cruises of three hours each and two evening coastal routes of one and a half hours each. Detailed schedules are available on the vessel's website.

Lee Chun-sil, head of the Ulsan Nam-gu Urban Management Corporation, said dolphins tend to appear closer to shore as water temperatures rise and food becomes more plentiful, adding that the sighting would bring extra excitement for passengers during the summer vacation season. She expressed hope that more visitors would come aboard.


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