30.05.2022 – Surfing whales
June 5, 2022
Tribute to the Ocean
June 8, 2022
I arrived back from some time off to a wonderful variety of sightings today and had the pleasure of sharing these with lovely guests. Our spotter guided our snorkelling crew to the waters of Cabo Girão this morning where we managed a lovely sighting with a group off Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis). Spotted dolphins often arrive in large pods during the summer months, making encounters incredibly dynamic with each subgroup doing its own thing. While some animals were hunting and others were busy tending to the calves, several juveniles and subadults curiously approached our participants in the water.
Our traditional boat and zodiac both enjoyed sightings with Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the afternoon. Again, our boats had to venture further east to find the animals but our efforts were rewarded with long-lasting close encounters that will definitely remain as lovely memories for our guests. Apart from the cetacean sightings we also enjoyed some brief moments with basking Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), Portuguese Man O’Wars (Physalia physalis), a tiny Flying squid (Todarodes sagittatus) and our Stenella even managed a surprisingly long encounter with an Atlantic flying fish (Cheilopogon melanurus). Despite the swell and wind, our team made the most of the day and the Atlantic gave us all a taste of its generosity. It’s good to be back!
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
10:00 Short-beaked common dolphins
14:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins
Stenella
09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins (Snorkelling)
15:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins
