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Drop the Pilot

These are Short-finned Pilot Whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) messing about in a large pod off Baja. They are very deep diving whales so quite difficult to catch at the surface. There were about forty whales in this pod doing lots of spyhopping and tail-lobbing. I think there is a third animal visible here in front of the spyhopper. They are often found in large groups and are called Pilot Whales because they were believed to be piloted by a leader. The phrase "drop the pilot" means to abandon an untrustworthy or incompetent leader but it was also a 1983 single for Joan Armatrading.

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Uploaded on April 1, 2023
Taken on February 25, 2023