18.04.2023 – Pretty things
April 25, 2023
20.04.2023 – Friends of the ocean
April 28, 2023
In the morning we headed in our favorite direction, out to sea. There is always so much to see there. Of course our guests come to watch whales and dolphins. But there is so much more to discover out there. It’s worth looking at the details. What’s floating on the surface of the sea? Is that a piece of plastic? No, it turns out to be a Portuguese man-o-war (Physalia physalis). And if you look closely, at this time of year you will discover several of these Siphonophorae with their blue-purple tentacles, which you shouldn’t get too close to. Is that a turtle over there? Oh no, a plastic bucket where algae and crabs have made themselves comfortable. A surprise awaits in the bucket. A Triggerfish (Balistidae) has made it its home. Drumond skillfully fishes the bucket out of the sea and our guests can appraise the special find before it is released into the sea. The bucket stays on board because plastic doesn’t belong in the sea. Cory’s Shearwaters drift relaxed on the sea surface or soar elegantly over their blue element.
The journey continues to a school of Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus). The juvenile animals dart past us, driven by the waves. They come very close to the boat and act very dolphin-like. And right in front of the harbor there are three Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) risking a look. We only stay with them for a short time, because they already had some contacts with other boats. For the sake of nature, it means taking a step back from time to time. After all, we don’t want to become a disruptive factor. We are the guests, sea visitors. We would like to be welcome again tomorrow. Today we had an eventful tour with large and small sea creatures. Yet it was only a small percentage of what can be discovered in the Blue Office. As you head out, it pays to be alert and look forward to what’s to come with an open mind and attention to detail.
By Fatima Kutzschbach
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:30 Pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins
13:30 Pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins
Stenella
09:30 Pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins
13:30 Pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins
