07.03.2026 – Rare visitor
March 14, 2026
….of a company lies in the concept. The truth about our job is that we never really know what to expect out at sea but that is the beauty of it. While guaranteeing sightings is commercially more attractive and makes clients feel more secure in their choice, the true pressure here doesn’t fall on our team, it falls on the animals…and that is exactly what we intend to avoid in our philosophy.
This often involves difficult decisions that require understanding on the part of our guests. An example of such a situation happened this morning where our team, after having a lovely sighting with some Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), were informed of two whales travelling closer to the coastline further east. When we arrived, the whale was surrounded by boats and had already changed direction. We decided not to engage and attempt a sighting as this would have put more pressure on the animals and all our guests agreed with this decision.
I am honestly impressed and deeply encouraged by this growing sentiment of empathy for the animals and seeing clients so set on making responsible choices in wildlife tourism. At the end of the day whale-watching is not about us, it’s about the animals. Our clients come to us for the animals. We build our business on the animals. Our oceans depend on their existence and we, in turn, depend on our oceans. So the only right thing to do, is keep the well-being of all the marine life in mind when we do our job. Everything else would be hypocritical.
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
13:00 Bottlenose dolphins
Stenella
09:30 Short-beaked common dolphins
