21.08.2026 – Spotties are in command
August 28, 2026
Today the ocean was beautiful but choppy and it made the spotter’s job more difficult, with the wind picking up in the morning and creating more waves. Unfortunately, Ribeira Brava didn’t have any sightings. More swell and waves make it harder to spot animals. For Steno, spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) were seen off the coast near Ponta do Pargo ! Cory’s shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) helped us find them, they were circling in a specific spot, where fish and dolphins were. They approached the boat, jumped and followed us, putting on the show before going back to their activities.
It is difficult to know if the animals like bad weather or not. Sometimes we don’t find them, sometimes we have nice surprises. Also, the topography around Ponta do Pargo helps bringing nutrients at the surface through a process we call upwelling, which will help the plankton to develop. Upwelling occurs at the edge of a continental shelf and it makes them high productivity areas for fish and predators. The plateau has a depth of 500m before stretching to 1000m where cetaceans can go hunting.
The conditions were not easy but we were all happy to see the playful spotted dolphins !
By Juliette Colançon
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:00 No sightings
13:00 No sightings
Steno
09:30 No sightings
13:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins
16:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins
