21.09.2018 – Good and bad sightings

On our tours today, we have been lucky enough to see a variety of sea creatures: Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) and Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) in the morning, shy Blainville´s beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris), a shark and two Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) at noon and again some lovely Atlantic spotted dolphins as well as a gigantic Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) in the afternoon.

Those were great sightings of animals we love to see but there have also been some things in the water we absolutely don’t like out there in the blue. Marine plastic and trash in the ocean is a big problem. Bags, bottles, balloons – those are killers of marine wildlife and a serious threat to the ecosystem. More than 8 million tons of plastics enter the ocean every year and the tendency is increasing.

This is a horrible development but the good thing is that we all can make a difference to avoid further input and therefore hopefully improve the situation in the future. Garbage separation and the reduction of plastic trash production are ways to protect whales and dolphins. Please avoid one-way-plastics so also future generations will get the chance to get fascinated by the wonderful marine wildlife we are observing every day!

by Jan-Christopher Fischer

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

13:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins

Stenella

08:30 (Snorkeling) Atlantic spotted dolphins, Striped dolphins

12:00 Blainville beaked whales, Shark, Loggerhead turtles

15:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Sperm whale