Galapagos Evolution: Swimming With Dolphins Off Wolf Island

Can you see the dolphins leaping?

Up until the Galapagos Islands the only species of dolphin I had swam with were the Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins. This species is nocturnal. They go offshore to hunt at night then return to the shallows during the day to rest. Since dolphins are mammals they still need to breathe, so to rest without drowning they've developed an ability to sleep half their brain at a time. They come together in a closely knit group and do laps over shallow sandy bottomed areas. The stark contrast of the sandy bottoms make it easier to spot predators with their sonar turned off during this resting period. Unfortunately, most don't know they're resting or simply don't care so they get harassed for internet selfies almost constantly, all day every day. It's really important to "kick back and enjoy the show" if you happen to cross paths with them, rather than go swimming after them or following them around. Chasing, following, or surprising is the fastest way to make almost any animal decide not to stick around.

With Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins it was a completely different experience though. I wasn't sure what to expect when we slid into the water around Wolf Island and a pod was playing nearby At first I remained still at the surface, non-threatening and small, like I would do with the Spinner Dolphins. After a few passes though my friend said to me "dive down and swirl and spin around." I dove and rolled around in the weightless blue. Dolphins were ALL around me. In every direction I looked. They were vocalizing and swirling. They were curious and interactive. It was difficult to even remember to keep an eye on the silky sharks swimming around with these huge dolphins  chatting, surfing the surface chop, and leaping into the sky.

To see more you can now get Galapagos Evolution on iTunes, Amazon, Vimeo On Demand, and Google Play! It is directed by Roberto Ochoa He, narrated by Pierre-Yves Cousteau, and features fellow free divers Ocean Ramsey, Juan Oliphant, Guillaume Nery, Diran Devletian, the amazing scuba diver Leo Morales, and biologist Pelayo Salinas.

It was shot aboard the Nortada vessel with the Cressi team.