How deep can dolphins dive?
The deepest dive ever recorded for a bottlenose dolphin was a 300 meters (990 feet). This was accomplished by Tuffy, a dolphin trained by the US Navy. Most likely dolphins do not dive very deep, though. Many bottlenose dolphins live in fairly shallow water. In the Sarasota Bay area, the dolphins spend a considarable time in waters that are less than 2 meters (7 feet) deep. Other whale and dolphin species are able to dive to much greater depths even. The pilot whale (Globicephala melaena) can dive to at least 600 meters (2000 feet) and a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) has been found entangled in a cable at more that 900 meters (500 fathoms) depth. Recent studies on the behavior of belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) has revealed that they regulary dive to depths of 800 meters. The deepest dive recorded of a beluga was to 1250 meters.
The deepest dive ever recorded for a bottlenose dolphin was 300 meters (990 feet) by Tuffy, a bottlenose dolphin trained by the US Navy. The average depth that dolphins dive during their natural behavior, without specific training depends on the species of the animal (and therefore the habitat in which they live, such as offshore, deeper waters versus inshore or coastal more shallow waters). There is fairly limited data on this topic for toothed whales, also known as odontocetes (the taxonomic suborder to which dolphins and porpoises belong). Some research studies thus far have indicated that short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) may forage at depths of up to 260 m for 8 minutes or more, although most dives are around 90 m deep, last about 3 minutes and are mostly at night. Pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) dive to at least 170 m; most of their dives are to 50 – 100 m for 2 to 4 minutes and most feeding appears to occur at night. Atlantic bottlenose dolphins
