Ryan Lawler scanned the pod of dolphins as they cruised alongside his boat, looking for “Patches.”
The owner of Newport Coastal Adventure had heard much about the unique-looking dolphin, the one with pink and white markings scattered on its sleek body, but had never laid eyes on the magnificent mammal.
Until a few days ago, when Patches showed up with about 100 of his friends along the Laguna Beach coastline.
“I was very excited, I hear so much about him,” said Lawler, who searched for 20 minutes in the pod before spotting Patches. “When I saw him from a distance, you could tell he’s really a two-toned dolphin. Once you get close to him, he can’t escape your view. I was able to tell my passengers it was a special sighting.”
Patches is well known along the Orange County coastline, an anomaly that caught the eye of naturalist Mark Tyson in 2006. Since then, Tyson has formed a bond with the dolphin.
Sometimes, years would pass before Patches would return to Orange County, but more recently he’s visited fairly frequently, up to several times a year.
Tyson, a naturalist for Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari, said he always feels like one of his own has come home when Patches shows up.
“It’s like a child I never had,” he joked. “My boy is still out there.”
With social media, Tyson is able to keep track of Patches, as people post of sightings. In the days following the Laguna spotting, he was seen in San Diego. Not too long ago, he was spotted near Monterey.
“It really gives me a thrill not only when I see Patches, but when others report seeing him,” Tyson said. “The dolphin really gets around … Patches has become quite the celebrity.”
Some researchers have speculated that Patches is a hybrid, a mix between a bottlenose and risso dolphin.
But most people believe Patches is an offshore bottlenose dolphin, often seen about 3 miles from shore, Lawler said.
“They are the most intelligent dolphins. Whenever we get to see them, it’s really exciting, they are very playful, they just have this special quality that makes me reach for my camera every time they are around,” he said.
Dana Wharf manager Donna Kalez said some of her whale-watching regulars spotted Patches in San Diego the past few days, and were heading out on the Dana Point boats this week to try to get a glimpse.
“Normally, when Patches is around, he goes from Newport to San Diego. Everybody will usually get a chance to see him,” she said.
Patches isn’t the only rare dolphin that has been seen off Orange County. About 11 years ago, Tyson photographed Casper, an all-white dolphin calf. The scars on Casper would show up dark on its skin, opposite of typical dolphins.
“It’s been about five or six years since anyone has reported Casper up and down the coast,” Tyson said. “I kind of miss Casper. But it’s cool to have Patches around. It really warms my heart to keep seeing Patches over the years.”
Seeing Patches isn’t just an emotional thrill, it helps researchers learn more about the behaviors of offshore bottlenose dolphin.
“By tracking Patches, we can track the pod’s behavior,” Lawler said.
A pod of risso dolphins, another rare sight, also showed up earlier this week. Like the offshore bottlenose, rissos eat squid, so perhaps a food source is drawing them here.
It could also be changing temperatures. The water has cooled in recent days – dropping from the upper-70s to the mid-60s, so possibly colder water is pushing out some species and bringing back others.
“It may be a sign of a change, I don’t know,” Lawler said.
Contact the writer: lconnelly@ocregister.com
