20.07.2023 – Challenging but beautiful

It’s impossible to even guess what may await us on our tours out on the Atlantic but we always hope for the best without promising too much. Cetaceans are highly mobile animals so keeping up with their movement in our waters can be quite a challenge!

Challenging was definitely the word to describe this mornings snorkelling tour with two separate groups of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis), that both took a brief interest in our participants before darting off to tend to other activities. These usually curious dolphins are very well studied when it comes to interactions with people in the water but even spotted dolphins can eventually get bored and leave paying customers wishing for a longer encounter. That unfortunately is beyond our control but our guests really appreciated our efforts nonetheless!

In the afternoon the Atlantic completely surprised us with a sighting of a Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) that was travelling west and, at first, showed little interest in our boats. After a careful approach from both our captains, the whale began barrel rolling near our vessels, delighting everyone on board (crew included). The evening tours were filled with more sightings of spotted dolphins and, while our traditional boat managed a sighting with a few Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), our Stenella had a lovely encounter with Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). It was yet another challenging but beautiful day out on the ocean!

By Paula Thake 

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins 

13:30 Sei whale

17:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins

Stenella 

09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins 

13:30 Sei whale

17:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins