Finally, we reencountered pilot whales
We love to be around these curious creatures.
I assumed there were at least 100 pilot whales in the area; we could see them wherever we looked, and there were several smaller groups.
We were cruising along with them when a small group of females and calves approached the boat.
The weather was excellent (with some swell ), the sun shone, and the flat water surface looked like golden mercury, absolutely mesmerizing.
One of the female pilot whales came underneath the boat belly up to examine what it was. A bit later, she threw herself out of the water with her belly up several times. Soon after, her calf and some younger individuals did the same.
There were some very young calves in the group. Maybe 1 or 2 months old. You can see in one of the photos that the fetal folds were still visible on its body.
Calves learn everything from their mothers, mimicking what their mother does all the time. Seeing this behavior in real life from the calves was so interesting. The little ones seemed to enjoy it because it went on for a while. We saw a lot of pectoral fins in the air
They represented to us why they are called long-finned pilot whales.
After the little ones got tired, one rolled slowly on its mother’s belly. It was such a tender moment to watch
You could clearly see their special bond.
Enjoy!
-Krisztina
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