12.10.2023 – Tomorrow is another day
October 20, 2023
14.10.2023 – Sperm Whales and resident Bottlenose Dolphins!
October 23, 2023
Even after over 18 years as a whale watching guide, you still experience something new. That’s what this work on the sea is like. We already know a lot about marine mammals, but there is still so much to learn and experience. There was a special event on the midday tour today. Two Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) approached a plastic box floating in the sea. They repeatedly hit the box with their heads. An interesting behavior. I’ve never experienced this before. Finally we were able to solve the puzzle. There were a number of Trigger fish swimming below the box, seeking protection under the box. Still, we had to remove the plastic box from the sea. It was already very porous. Plastic does not disappear in the sea, it breaks down into ever smaller micro particles and thus gains entry into many microorganisms. On this tour we also briefly saw a few Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).
In the evening there were Bottlenose dolphins, Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) and also Sperm whales. We saw two mothers with their cute little calves. Sperm whales have an extremely long gestation period of 16 months. They look after their offspring with great care. They are really good, protective mothers.
By Fatima Kutzschbach
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:30 Bottlenose dolphins
13:30 Sperm whales
Stenella
09:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Sperm whales
13:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Sperm whales
16:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Sperm whales, Striped dolphins
