30.03.2023 – Joyful varieties
April 7, 2023
01.04.2023 – A smile?
April 9, 2023
Our beautiful traditional boat, the Ribeira Brava, has finally returned from her maintenance on dry dock and was ready to take guests out on this fine, sunny day. Our spotter informed us of some cetaceans further offshore and we ventured out to meet a small group of Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) that were dashing through the wavy ocean. He soon called us again to inform us of a pod of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) closer to the coast, that were travelling east in a dispersed formation, surfacing in small groups of 2 or 3 dolphins. It’s assumed that these pairs and trios represent dolphins nurturing a close companionship with documentations of friendships lasting as long as a lifetime.
We saw both species on both our boats during the afternoon tour and, as we returned to the marina, the jackpot of the day emerged and caught the Ribeira Brava captain Pedro’s eye. A Blue whale (Balaenoptera m.musculus) was discreetly travelling past Calheta and our traditional boat immediately veered to the scene, marking the sighting for our Stenella. The whale barrel-rolled below the surface, flashing its bright blue stomach at the sky, before resurfacing and we watched in awe as its endless body emerged. What a fantastic end to the day and marvellous welcome back from the Atlantic for our Ribeira Brava!
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins
13:30 Blue whale, Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins
Stenella
09:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins
13:30 Blue whale, Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins
