05.10.2026 – Understanding ecotypes
October 13, 2026
As we guides explain to our guests during the pre-trip briefing, every species has its own quirks, moods, and distinct character. Our skippers must take this, as well as the animals’ current level of activity, into account when approaching them. The better the approach, the better the sighting; this allows us to show our guests the animals’ natural behavior.
Today, we saw pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) moving powerfully through the water, accompanied by a few bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that proved uncooperative for photos and quickly dove out of sight. In contrast, the Atlantic spotted dolphins we encountered earlier that morning were incredibly playful and eager to leap. To wrap up the afternoon, we observed a small pod of shy Blainville’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris). The group included a female with a very young calf; I had never seen a beaked whale calf that small before.
by Claudia Gomes
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Pilot whales, Atlantic spotted dolphins
13:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whales
Steno
09:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Pilot whales, Atlantic spotted dolphins
16:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Blainville’s beaked whales
