06.08.2023 – A bright blue Sunday
August 14, 2023
08.08.2023 – Good planning goes a long way
August 16, 2023
Our crew had to cover more ground than expected today. Our crew aboard the Ribeira Brava had to venture 7 nautical miles offshore to encounter a pod of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) before discovering a small group of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) close to Calheta’s coastline. Despite the long tour our guests were thrilled to have encountered these two species that are so alike yet entirely different to one another.
In the afternoon the west wind picked up unexpectedly and prompted our spotter to relocate further east. His eyes soon fell on a group of Bottlenose dolphins in front of Ribeira Brava and our crew prepared our guests for the wild ride and set off. We had a great sighting with the dolphins and even managed to catch a glimpse of the different facial features of each individual as they lifted their heads to breathe in the choppy waters. A study in the Adriatic revealed that bottlenose individuals could also be distinguished through these features apart from their dorsal fin.
Our team continued to scout the windy waters further east for a pod of spotted dolphins but the wind didn’t make this easy. We soon turned to return to Calheta and it was a wild ride back to the marina. We all enjoyed it nonetheless, things simply never get boring out on the Atlantic!
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins
Stenella
14:00 Bottlenose dolphins
