23.06.2023 – Hopeful

Nothing is guaranteed out on our oceans, particularly if you consider how much pressure there is on marine life nowadays. Our goal is to create realistic expectations with our guests and assure them that we will do our best, but that does not translate into a guarantee for marine mammals. 

Things weren’t easy today but our team remained hopeful and searched far and wide to find Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) in the morning and Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the afternoon. It was a challenge to find these groups and took a lot of effort from the side of our spotter and captains but both our team and guests were delighted that we managed! A baleen whale was also circling in the area close to the Bottlenose Dolphins in the afternoon, but the amount of boats in the area when we arrived prompted the animal to change its dive behaviour and neither of our boats were able to track it down. Our team on the Stenella did, however, manage a spectacular sighting with a Manta ray (Manta birostris) that was feeding at the surface near Ribeira Brava. What a lovely surprise!

Our midday tour on the Stenella unfortunately ended with no sightings but our guests appreciated the efforts of our team nonetheless! We always do our best to find animals but also respect the Atlantic and all its marvellous creatures!

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

15:00 Bottlenose Dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins

13:30 No sightings

16:00 Bottlenose Dolphins