This morning the Caledonian Star was making its way up the Peruvian coast after lunch when we observed a large group of dusky dolphins, seen quite often near the South American coast, hunting fish. We had enough time, Expedition Leader Tom Ritchie and Captain Joachim decided to drop a Zodiac for the naturalists to take the underwater video gear out to try and get some footage of the dolphins as they worked fish at the surface. The fish they were eating were in turn going after smaller fish and ultimately the plankton that ran red in the water all around the ship.
Once back aboard there was a little time to look at a sample of the plankton right before a lecture on South American climate by Dennis Cornejo. Later, the ship ran into another group of the very energetic dolphins as they jumped from the water, twisting and turning. We left the marine mammals and continued north. We then got ready for our welcome aboard dinner, which was enjoyed by all. Tomorrow we are off to see the Nazca Lines! But today we did quite a lot for being at sea.
