Nature is always throwing surprises at us human beings, especially if you are in the middle of the ocean and do not know what to expect or what might suddenly rise from its depths. Here is a story right out of wildlife movies or Nat Geo documentaries that we are typically used to seeing from the comfort of our living rooms.
As a guide on the Nautilus Liveaboards, I have had my share of amazing deep-sea adventures but today’s story surely takes the cake.
An Unexpected and Amazing Day Spent with False Killer Whales
I was having my morning coffee before sunrise on the deck and the sky was beginning to fill out with bright hues of intense yellow, pink, and orange tones that bounced off the glassy ocean surface. Around 7 am, I had the guests ready to board the Rhib to go mobula searching just south of the San Lorenzo channel.
The sea was very calm and we slowly made our way to our observation area looking for schools of mobulas. But suddenly out of the blue, we could make out at a distance what looked like dolphins moving very close to the shore. I told the guests, “Guys, let’s go to say good morning to those dolphins.” Everybody agreed as for the guests it was a fabulous idea to watch dolphins closely while still drinking their last sips of coffee and completely waking up.
But to our astonishment, as we got closer, we realized that they were not dolphins. They were much bigger, their spouts were way taller and the shape of their heads was somewhat odd. No, these were not dolphins but a huge pod of about 20-25 false killer whales, consisting of grownup males and females, juveniles, and at least one tiny baby who was always between two big adults that were protecting him.
The whole of this beautiful day was spent with this pod. We got very close to these false killer whales and on their part, they were very curious about the boat and the people in the water. They came within eyesight distance to us but soon got bored and went on their way into La Paz Bay. We then decided to give them a break and space so we went back to the mother ship and had lunch while following the pod from a distance.
From the ship, we had the good fortune to watch some dolphins, humpback whales, and fin whales. Later in the afternoon we got back on the Rhib and began to follow the pod closely again. What we saw was stuff that lifetime memories are made of. The false killer whales were hunting Dorado fish! The scared fish were trying to hide under the boat and the whales came under also, making noises, blowing bubbles, and finally, catching several fish! We actually saw the whales gulping down the fish. It was so exciting!!!
After that, they went into a bay very close to shore on the west side of La Paz Bay and seemed to be resting, not really moving away, just hanging out and breathing very calmly. At this point, we decided to say goodbye to the pod to give them space to be with themselves after having our presence throughout the day.
We were all thrilled and could not believe that this magical experience had really happened to us. We had shared a day in our lives with a family of false killer whales, wild and free marine animals who had genuinely shown interest and curiosity toward us.
Swimming with the Mobulas and False Killer Whales
While the other day we had been following the false killer whales from the Rhib or the mother ship, today we were in the water with mobulas, swimming close and making eye contact.
We started with interaction with a school of mobulas and it seemed that there were thousands all around us. This was the first time that most guests were swimming with these marine creatures and the happiness on their faces was a joy to watch.
The next day we started early in the morning and it was back to the false killer whales again but this time in the water. As we jumped into the water, they let us swim close to them. A male made eye contact with me for at least 3 min, an experience that was out of this world.
Having this kind of interaction with species like mobulas and false killer whales is unbelievable. We can only thank these magnanimous sea creatures for allowing us into their domain and giving us an experience of a lifetime.
