In March 2025, Israeli nature photographer Dafna Ben Nun joined the Delphis citizen science project for the first time, and as a full member of the organization who had undergone training as marine surveyors, she accompanied a dolphin research cruise that departed from the Ashdod Marina.

 This voyage undoubtedly entered the pantheon of observations by Delphi researchers, during which a swordfish was observed (for only the second time in the last 25 years) as well as a pair of common dolphins - a male and a female - swimming together.
 Ben Nun hurried to document the pair, and was amazed to photograph them against the backdrop of the Ashdod beaches.
 The female was later identified by researchers as "Ayela," a common dolphin that was first observed in 2010 and has been seen with five calves to this day. The male alongside her is unknown, but about a month after the voyage, the two were recorded together again - which is very unusual for common dolphins, and therefore particularly intrigued the Delphis researchers.

 The common dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) is the more common and well-known of the two dolphin species that live along the Mediterranean coast of Israel. Its population includes approximately 360 individuals, which were documented by researchers at Delphis and the University of Haifa.

 Award-winning National Geographic Israel in-house photographer and longtime Delphis volunteer, Dafna Ben Nun, conducts photo expeditions around the world and documents nature in all its glory, with her focus on animals in their natural habitat.
 This work is being sold as part of the "Artists for Marine Mammals" fundraiser. All proceeds are dedicated to the continued protection of marine mammals in Israel.