08.12.2021 – Little fireworks

An amazing day, a great tour. Today we were sent far out by our spotter. He had discovered Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). But when they are traveling so far from the coast, it is of course not clear whether we would make it to the whales in time, whether they would not have submerged by then. When we arrived in the observation area, nothing was to be seen far and wide, and we actually had to wait for a while, but then all of a sudden one of these dark backs appeared. The first Sperm whale had surfaced, and it didn’t stop with this one toothed whale. When we meet whales, astonishment spreads among the guests, which can be compared to pausing in admiration. A very nice, awesome experience.

But in this particular situation we were completely surprised. In the midst of a small fireworks display of the waves, Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) dashed towards us. They gave us great moments with their liveliness. They were like small, sparkling fireworks themselves. It is always a great pleasure for me to observe the change in emotions towards joy and enthusiasm among our guests.

So today we experienced the big and the small, we experienced amazement, admiring pause, joy and enthusiasm. Can it be better?

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Sperm whales, Atlantic spotted dolphins