07.04.2022 – Like oil

The absence of wind left the beautiful Atlantic looking exactly as the Portuguese like to describe it on such a day, como azeite, meaning like oil. As our zodiac dashed out the marina a dorsal fin suddenly broke the eternal blue, silky surface and we immediately turned to take a look. The solitary animal kept surfacing and diving very quickly, making identification quite a challenge. At first sight we thought it was a lone Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and then, as we saw the smaller dorsal fin, we assumed it was a beaked whale. Our spotter finally identified the animal as a young Baleen whale (Balaenopteridae), perhaps a Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata).

The animals evasive manoeuvres of the whale soon prompted us to search for other animals with the first being a pair of Bottlenose dolphins before encountering two hunting parties of Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), with the second even containing a few young calves. The marvellous conditions also made finding these two species a little easier for our team in the afternoon. The guests aboard our traditional boat had the pleasure of enjoying some bow-riding Bottlenose dolphins as well as group of common dolphins, that briefly inspected us before dashing off in pursuit of their prey. Our zodiac even managed a sighting with Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba)! Such a fantastic day and a true blessing after so many windy days at sea!

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins, Unidentified baleen whale

14:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins

Stenella

10:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins, Unidentified baleen whale

15:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins, Striped dolphins