Roca Redonda is a beautiful rocky outcrop and is a wonderful place to observe marine life. At dawn, as we were nearing this magical site, a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins came to play at the bow of our ship. They were looking for a free ride, and we were delighted to give one to them! Then we saw a flock of large dark petrels (sea birds) in a feeding frenzy and we immediately realized that these were an unusual species, and not birds that are commonly seen around Galapagos.
As we worked to identify the sea birds, the dolphins approached the ship and we realized that among them were many larger marine mammals. They came very close to our ship, making it possible to clearly identify them. They were pilot whales, at least 40 of them, feeding together with sea lions, dolphins, a lone Cape petrel, Parkinson's petrels, dark-rumped petrels, and Audubon shearwaters. What a sight! Our guests and naturalists spent a wonderful hour with these animals and had an unforgettable experience.
