Watch: Dubai resident goes fishing, gets surprise 'happy water dance' from pod of dolphins

When Dubai resident Mostafa Zabadani went fishing near Atlantis, The Palm, earlier this week, he was hoping for a good catch. What he captured instead is a memory he will treasure for the rest of his life.

The Lebanese expat and his friends were around 2-3 kilometres offshore when, to Mostafa's surprise, a pod of 10-15 bottlenose dolphins suddenly showed up, swimming near his chartered boat. Mesmerised by their rhythmic 'happy water dance', the group quickly put down their fishing rods and picked up their phones to film the incredible sighting.

"It was a beautiful sight, almost breathtaking, as the pod popped in and out of the water with the scenic Marina, high-rises of JBR and Ain Dubai in the backdrop," said the 42-year-old owner of Rails Gaming Cafe in JLT.

Mostafa shared the video clips with Khaleej Times, in which you can see the dolphins putting up quite a show, just metres away from the boat, clearly enjoying the weather as much as everyone else:

A resident of Dubai for the last 10 years, Mostafa says he often goes out on these early-morning fishing expeditions on 'Water and Beyond' fishing charter boat from Dubai harbour. Over the years, he had some lucky encounters — but each time, the experience is 'surreal'.

"To see these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat is fulfilling. Sometimes, they're very playful and follow the boat and jump around." Here is a second clip, with the rising sun casting a golden glow over the mesmerising scene.

Dolphin sightings have been previously reported in Dubai, but it is rare for a pod to swim this close to the shoreline.

Last year in December, Paris Norris, the host of the television show 'Guy in Dubai', posted a video on his Instagram showing around 100 dolphins near his boat.

He wrote, "We were accompanied for this training session by a pod of over 100 dolphins who were curious about our slickly designed Ocean rowing boat. Maybe even slightly jealous of the aquadynamics, they showed off with some of their acrobatics and joined us for part of our training."

• Watch: Dubai on the trail of dolphins, porpoises