Close your eyes. Take a breath. Imagine yourself in a boat floating in the sea off the coast of the Azores, gazing wildly at the vast blue below you. From the rich darkness of the depths you begin to make out shapes, intertwining and flowing gracefully around each other, dozens more appearing by the second. The sound they are making is incredible: a dawn chorus of squeaks and clicks binding the pod together as one. You aren’t afraid, you’re simply an observer as the incredible animals feed together below.

This became a reality for the team at Terra Azul in the Azores who recently witnessed a super-pod of over 100 false killer whale individuals feeding on a swordfish close to their boat. And what’s more – they captured the entire encounter on video!