11.04.2023 – Dreamwork

Northeast winds brought misty conditions for our spotters Carlos and Silviano once again but, Their forces combined, along with the brilliance of our captains facilitated lovely sightings today. This morning our team found a pod of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) around 4 nautical miles offshore. The animals playfully approached our boat in their usual curious manner, living up to their reputation as one of the best cetaceans to conduct research with. Their spot pattern and approachable behaviour has earned them this notoriety and their cooperation during scientific observations has helped biologists understand a lot more about dolphin behaviour and language! The tour continued with a Blainville’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) sighting, where the usually elusive animals suddenly curiously approached our Stenella, wrapping up a magnificent morning tour! 

Our Ribeira Brava managed sightings with both species this morning and additionally found a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and we enjoyed the same lineup aboard our zodiac during the late afternoon tour. Our traditional boat managed a sighting with a few beautiful Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), a species that was also observed by our Stenella during the midday tour along with their equally small cousins, the Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) and larger relatives, the Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). 

The combined efforts of our team allowed us all to enjoy this fantastic day out on the ocean and simply emphasises one simple truth of life: teamwork makes the dream work!

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whales, Bottlenose Dolphins

13:30 Short-beaked common dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whales

13:30 Short-beaked common dolphins, Sperm whales, Striped dolphins

16:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whales, Bottlenose Dolphins