Tourist captures breathtaking moment blue-nose dolphin leaps out the water in Russell

Mexican-born filmmaker Pepe De Hoyos captured the incredible moment a dolphin burst out of the water to put on a show for a group of a charter boat off the coast of Russell. Photo / Pepe De Hoyos

A Mexican-born Auckland filmmaker has captured the incredible moment a dolphin burst out of the water to put on a show for a group of a charter boat off the coast of Russell.

Pepe De Hoyos was treating his father to a Northland holiday experience when he decided to take him out on a fishing charter early Wednesday morning.

But just 30 minutes into their voyage, De Hoyos and his Dad were treated to a show by a pod of at least 40 bottlenose dolphins.

The pair managed to capture the perfect moment as one lept out of the water as it played alongside the charter boat.

"The woman on the boat suddenly pointed to the water, shouting 'look!'

"At first there were just a few visible, then suddenly more and more showed up. There must have been more than 40 of them.

"They stayed there for a good 15-20 minutes. Some were jumping high up in the air. There were baby one, big ones, it was amazing. They were so playful and performing tricks for us as they followed us along."

De Hoyos said he couldn't have planned a better trip for his father, and never anticipated they'd see a dolphin, let alone more than 40 of them playing, jumping and swimming alongside them.

"It was an amazing spectacle. My Dad is from the North of Mexico, so it's rare for him to experience water activities. Immediately he started cheering and laughing. It was incredible to share this moment with him.

"He was so excited, he didn't know where to point the camera. It was the best fishing charter I've ever been on. We're going to keep the experience of watching these dolphins close to our heart."