25.04.2018 – A gentle approach
May 5, 2018
27.04.2018 – Racing with the sun
May 7, 2018
Today we had two fantastic tours on our traditional boat, both including sightings of interactive Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and several spotting talents amongst the guests on board.
In the morning, our spotter directed us to the waters west of Calheta on a slightly wavy Atlantic Ocean. The herd of dolphins were foraging for food between Paul do Mar and Jardim do Mar and we stayed with them for some time until they abruptly changed direction towards the coast, which prompted us to head out and search for other species. Frequent change of direction and tail slaps are among the many behavioral displays of discrepancy in travelling groups of dolphins, which we use as our cue to keep away and leave the animals be. This, however, would not be the last encounter of our day with this group. It was the delightful birthday girl on board that spotted the animals again as we were on our way back to the marina. Our captain gently turned the boat towards the animals and they approached us curiously before resuming their travels eastward.
On the afternoon tour we met the same school of dophins again further east in the coastal waters of beautiful Ponta do Sol. This time we observed alot of socializing and mating behavior amongst the animals. The dynamic nature of this species never disappoints; several individuals leapt a couple of meters into the air making our enthusiastic guests exclaim happily. The animals remained with us for a large amount of time before we began our journey back to the marina. The spotting participation of several guests on board as well as everyones fabulous interest in the cetaceans and their behavior, made this trip all the more exciting and rewarding.
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
10:00 Bottlenose dolphins
14:30 Bottlenose dolphins
