14.09.2022 – Rainb(l)ow after the storm
September 21, 2022
16.09.2022 – About love
September 23, 2022
To break it down, finding cetaceans at sea depends on three factors: their presence, our experience and the weather conditions. At Lobosonda we all generally have a lot of faith in our team mates so I never question the judgement of our experienced skippers and our spotter; if the animals are out there, I am certain our team will find them.
The overcast sky, shoreline rain showers and increasing Northwest wind did not make things easy for our team this morning. Before the rain completely blocked our spotters view, he managed to spot the spout of a large Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and our boats rushed to the area. Finding cetaceans out on a day like this often feels like finally finding the needle in a haystack. Of course, the largest of the toothed whales aren’t exactly needles, particularly the enormous nomadic males that can reach lengths of up to 20m.
Despite this, the vast Atlantic can hide such a gentle giant fairly quickly especially under a windy ocean, so well done to our spotter Carlos for finding the individual. We were thrilled at the sighting but the Sperm whale kept it brief and soon lifted its fluke to dive into the abyss. It obviously had more important things to do and it was also time for us to head back to the marina. The Northwest wind was steadily increasing and got so strong after midday, that our crew decided to cancel our trips.
by Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
10:00 Sperm whale
Stenella
10:00 Sperm whale
