Sometimes the ocean seems as dead as a doornail. Of course, there are countless animals in it, but days go by without us seeing even one. There’s a good chance that’s because we spend half the time staring at the compass and don’t even realize that a blue whale, sperm whale, or dolphin is passing by.
But on this trip, it seems as if the number of animals we see at sea is proportional to the number of guests on board. The more guests, the more people looking around every now and then, and the more wildlife we spot.
Today, a pod of dolphins swims with us for at least half an hour. They came swimming toward us like an army, and now they’re diving and dancing around the ship. I’ve rarely seen so many dolphins stay with us for so long and treat the ship like their playmate.
When the dolphins leave, a few dragonflies drift in, along with a swarm of flies. Where they come from, I have no idea. We’re miles away from land.
Our guest Chris checks Darwin. He was also amazed by the many insects on board the Beagle in this area. ‘It was snowing butterflies,’ he writes. Remarkably, he was here on almost the same day as us, but back in 1833. According to Darwin, the Argentine countryside is so parched and dry that the insects are blown out to sea by the wind.
And now they’re hitching a ride with us for a bit. The dragonflies hanging in the ropes are a beautiful sight; the flies in our galley, not so much. Let’s hope the Argentine countryside gets a bit more overgrown soon.
