Dolphins Swim With Hudson River Kayaker Near Upper West Side: VIDEO

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Habiba Hussain was out riding a kayak on the Hudson River this weekend, when she got some unexpected company on her journey.

Hussain was paddling in the water with her friend not far from the Upper West Side near West 125th Street as three dolphins suddenly appeared around them.

"Close encounters of the best kind," she wrote on Instagram. "BEST DAY EVER."

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A post shared by Habiba Hussain (@habibahussain_0906)

"I was almost hyperventilating on the water when we first saw them," Hussain wrote in response to a person's comment on her post.

Hussain had ventured out from Manhattan Kayak Co at Pier 84 in Midtown, as first reported by W42ST.

“We regularly see big fish jumping in and out of the water,” Habiba told W42ST. “I was with a friend and she said, ‘I think I just saw a dolphin!’ I didn’t see them at first, so I said, ‘I’m pretty sure it was just one of these large fish that are all around the Hudson’. But then we saw them jumping and I was like,'Nope, those are dolphins!’”

In another Instagram post, Hussain said she hoped that the attention her video received would help lead to an increase of tourism and interest for the Hudson River and the activities that take place on the water, including at Manhattan Kayak.

Dolphins sightings are up in New York City.

People have spotted them this year in the Hudson River, East River and New York Harbor. The increase in sightings could be due to cleaner waters, warmer weather, and the return of the menhaden fish to the area, which is a food favorite for dolphins, reported the New York Times.

What we know for sure? Dolphin sightings in the Hudson River are a whole lot better than the recent shark sightings on Rockaway Beach.