24.03.2026 – Salty serenade

You’re be surprised at how restricted human beings are in regards to their sensory hardware out at sea. As animals that primarily rely on vision, we have little chance of survival in an environment like the ocean where conditions and depth can make this sense practically useless.

Dolphins are acoustic animals, guided by their biosonar, an instrument that serves them well at any depth and with any visibility. This obvious meant that the murky waters further inshore and choppy waters offshore had no negative impact on the Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) today. On the contrary- these intelligent predators often use difficult conditions to their advantage. Murky waters are great for sneaking up on prey and wavy waters great for acceleration during a pursuit. While both pods weren’t hunting this morning, it was easy to imagine this dynamic under those conditions.

In the afternoon our speedboat had the pleasure of encountering these dolphins again along with the dolphins that pioneered the discovery of sonar and communication amongst dolphins; the Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). In the 70’s scientists discovered that Bottlenose dolphins use signature whistles, a sort of acoustic fingerprint, to introduce themselves to peers and call others in the pod. This discovery was a monumental one, especially in regards to the self awareness of these incredible animals.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Short-beaked common dolphins

13:00 Bottlenose dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Short-beaked common dolphins

13:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins