Watch: Rare white-sided dolphins spotted near British Columbia

Whale watching boats are reporting some very rare sightings of white-sided dolphins in the seas off Victoria, British Columbia and the San Juan Islands.

Video shows large groups of the dolphins, which are common in the extreme Northern Pacific but hardly ever seen this far south and in these numbers.

Whale watch operators and customers are taking full advantage of it.

The Pacific Whale Watch Association says the sightings are a good sign for the area in a time when the future is uncertain for other marine animals.

"With the world's oceans in such trouble and whale and dolphin populations plummeting in so many places, it's great to report the comeback of any wildlife to a particular area," said Michael Harris, executive director of PWWA, in a statement. "When these guys turn up, they really put on a show. The entire ocean seems to explode with life."

Pacific white-sided dolphins, also called "lags," can reach 8 feet in length and live to be more than 40 years old. The dolphins are appearing around the Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca in pods of 150 or more.