About 9:00 in the morning, we found ourselves in the midst of one of several pods of pilot whales (Globicephala melaena) we would encounter on our first day. This particular pod contained probably 10-12 whales, many of which came close enough to the boat that we could see their disctinctive lar, rounded dorsal fins and the jet-black bodies that give them their Latin name melaena. Many of the pilot whales we saw were playful enough to roll over on their side and show us the long fins that separate them from the closely related short-finned pilot whales that make their home slightly farther south.