16.07.2023 – Last minute dolphins

A small cozy group of guests went out to sea on this Sunday morning. It wasn’t long before we had our first sighting of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). They were in the mood to accompany Ribeira Brava for a while. And where could there be a nicer place than in the bow wave of our traditional fishing boat? Our guests were very happy and for at least one person a lifelong dream came true. Something like this always makes me very happy. What could be nicer than being there when people’s dreams come true? Afterwards we went to a school of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis). They too cavorted in front of the boat for a while. Our fishing boat pushes the water forward. This creates a boost that the dolphins can use to surf.

At our midday trip the guests had to be patient for a long, very long time. There were no marine mammals in sight. But all is well that ends well. In the end we luckily had dolphins, last minute dolphins? And who was it? The Bottlenose dolphins had made a U-turn and were coming our way again. Meeting point was very close to the marina. Such good luck. It’s much nicer to bring our guests back with a sighting.

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins

13:30 Bottlenose dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins

14:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Loggerhead turtle

17:00 Bottlenose dolphins