Navy Dolphins Find Mines, Sea Lions Recover Underwater Gear

San Diego, United States – Navy trainers showed how dolphins find and mark undersea mines and how sea lions recover objects from the sea floor during a public demonstration on Broadway Pier at Fleet Week San Diego on Tuesday, November 10.

Footage released by the U.S. Navy on Wednesday, November 11, shows a dolphin swimming through the bay beside a rigid-hulled inflatable boat as trainers lean over the side, then a sea lion wearing a harness on a workboat next to transport cages as handlers in wetsuits work beside an American flag. Crowds of spectators, including children, watch from the pier, some holding up phones, as a trainer addresses the group. Later shots show the dolphin surfacing next to the boat and the vessel moving across the water.