Bottlenose dolphins were a mystery to a group of marine scientists because they would touch their fins to each other when they swam. They took a picture of the moment. It was so adorable!

Erika Jarvis and her OceanX (a non-profit marine research group) diving crew were off the coast of Miami when a pod of bottlenose dolphins started to follow their boat. They were on a research trip to the Florida Keys Reef Tract. It’s always interesting to see these beautiful animals swimming by your boat. This time, Erika saw a scene that made her heart melt. Two dolphins gently held each other’s fins as they swam in the sea. Thankfully, the diver grabbed her phone right away and took a picture of the touching moment.

OceanX social media manager Jarvis told The Dodo that “They were with us for about half an hour.” As we looked down, about 20 of us were up on top. Then the purser next to me said: “Did. You. Get. That?'”
None of the crew could believe what they saw, and they were all moved by this once-in-a-lifetime event. But it turns out that bottlenose dolphins are very good at touching each other’s fins. Dolphins are known to be very social because they use all kinds of sounds and gestures to show their love for each other.

It may look such as these bottlenose dolphins are shaking hands with us as we sail by, but “fin-to-fin touching is actually a sign of social bonding, especially between females in groups where men are the majority.” “Their little synchronized break really adds to the sweetness of it all.”

The memorable moment is below. You should watch it!