16.01.2019 – Because they are worth it

There´s more strategy than meets the eye behind a whale-watching trip. While the concept of a spotter, or vigia, finding the animals and guiding our boats to them is quite simple and effective, Carlos has to take a number of other factors into account. He has to plan sightings in such a way to adapt the sightings to the duration of the trip while also taking current weather conditions into account.

Today conditions weren’t ideal during both trips and we had to search long and hard to find cetaceans out at sea. Both in the morning and the afternoon, the Stenella patrolled a large area 4 nautical miles off the coast while Carlos scanned the waters around us. The idea during such searches is to cover as much area as we can, so if cetaceans do decide to cruise by the Southwestern waters of the archipelago, we won’t miss them.

The profound patience on the part of our guests and dedication on the part of our crew, especially our spotter and skipper, paid off in the end. On both trips we were surprised by a school of interactive Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), colourful dolphins that sped to and fro near our Stenella with small calves the size of bowling pins.

It generally never gets old with cetaceans and encountering an interactive species is especially gratifying after such a long search. The challenge and hard work during every tour always pays off, we aren’t complaining here. After all, all those involved are worth the effort; the cetaceans as well as the eager guests on board our trips.

15:00 Short-beaked common dolphins