14.05.2025 – A taste of Summer

Today the conditions to go out where almost perfect. The sun was shining, almost no swell and wind, clear water and so on. These are our normal summer conditions, so it was a taste of summer.

Apart from that we were blessed with some beautiful sightings during the day. We had some active and jumpy Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis), some sleepy Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), some curious Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and at last also the elusive Blainville’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris). With all this species we have a good representation from deep and long diving animals as the Beaked and Pilot whales, but also surface dwellers like the Spotted dolphins.

Let’s hope these conditions continue like this, but also that we see more of these beautiful animals.

By Horst Schulte

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whale

13:00 Short-finned pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whale

Stenella

09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whale

13:30 Short-finned pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whale

16:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whale