15.05.2025 – Surprise starter

Our day out on the Atlantic was full of surprises today, which means it couldn’t have been a better start for our new summer guide Hannah! The ocean looked as smooth as silk as we set off to find cetaceans during all our tours today and the summery conditions simply accentuated all the incredible sightings.

The day began with a pair of gorgeous Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) for both our boats and our Stenella drove further offshore to meet some peaceful Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macorhynchus) and curious Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis). The guests and crew were beaming after these encounters; it’s always so refreshing to encounter several species and see the diversity on social dynamics and behaviour!

In the afternoon, our boats managed a sighting with a pod of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that were clearly dashing towards a Black scabbard fishing vessel to snatch fish from the lines. The sighting was both exhilarating and sobering; such depredation behaviour doesn’t just put the dolphins in danger, it also stops them from fulfilling their ecological role as top predators in their habitat.

The biggest surprise, however, surfaced during the last tour. A Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) came out of nowhere to surprise our team on the last trip, particularly Fatima who was about to celebrate her birthday the following day. 4 dolphin species for the new summer guide and a Humpback for the birthday girl? I’d call that a great start to a new job and a new decade!

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales

13:00 Bottlenose dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Short-beaked common dolphins

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

16:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Humpback whale