02.03.2022 – Mix it up

Our day began with a wonderful snorkelling tour on board our Stenella and we even managed to conduct the activity with our zodiacs very own namesake dolphins; the. Curious Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis). Managing a snorkelling tours is far more tricky with this species in the winter than it is during the summer. Spotted dolphins are notorious warm-water lovers and occur in much smaller groups at this time of the year which often contain young calves, making the pods extra cautious around boats. During the transition from one season to another a mixing of the water columns across the planet take place. Deeper, colder waters are pushed to the surface and the chilly waters left all our guests thankful for their thermal wear.

While this mixing doesn’t favour ocean activities for cold-sensitive people like myself, it works wonders for the ocean. Deep sea creatures, mainly cnidarians, as well as valuable nutrients are pressed to the surface and serve as food for plankton and smaller schools of planktivorous fish. An example of fish that gorge on this buffet of plankton are the Halfbeaks (Belone belone), an abundant species at this time of the year and the prized prey of the Short-finned common dolphins (Delphinus delphis). Our afternoon tour was filled with the spectacular leaps of the common dolphins as they pursued this prey, an encounter which can be considered typical for this time of the year. What couldn’t be considered typical was the reaction of the pod of Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) towards our boat. Several juvenile animals darted in unison towards our boat as we entered the sightings area which surprised our team since they are considered a more evasive species.

Another frequent visitor at this time of the year is the Portuguese Man O’ War (Physalis physalis), a colony of polyps that is also after planktivorous fish. While their hunts aren’t as action-packed as those of the common dolphins, they are equally genius. The colony waits, drifting motionless at the surface and moving with the current for its prey, and relies on the approach of passing fish seeking shelter to land a meal.

All processes and creatures in the ocean are connected and understanding these networks is our key to protecting them.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Stenella

10:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins (Snorkelling)

15:00 Short-beaked common dolphins, Striped dolphins