20.08.2017 – On my side
August 28, 2017
22.08.2017 – “Majestic Lady” Ribeira Brava
August 30, 2017
Patience is duly rewarded; this was shown during the morning tours on both vessels today. Spotters, guides and skippers were dutifully scanning the oceans surface for animals and, after nearly two hours of searching, finally managed to locate a school of Atlantic spotted dolphins. Our guests were able to hear and see the animals underwater, and the Stenella returned to Calheta with satisfied people on board.
The eagle eyes of both spotters and skippers allowed the day to proceed with magnificent sightings. The guests on the afternoon tour, on the Ribeira Brava, had a beautiful sperm whale sighting and our crew even managed to remove a large fishing net from the ocean. The net served as a temprary habitat for a number of small crustaceans and molluscs, that hinge onto the structure during their larval planktonic phase before using it as a refuge from potential predators during their further development. The ocean makes the most out of everything, even unfortunate pieces of waste.
The climax of the day was definitely achieved during the evening tour on the Stenella. Our guests could fill their sightings passes with no less than 4 different cetacean species. The fast synchronized swimming of the striped dolphins marked the first sighting before our zodiac speed off to spot some sperm whales. We found a large bull off Jardim do Mar, west of Calheta, and the animal dove after swimming close to our vessel for a couple of minutes. We managed to locate another individual and were pleasantly surprised by a group of very active Atlantic spotted dolphins who were hunting and feeding close to yet another impressive cetacean; a Bryde’s whale. This wrapped up a magnificent day out on the Atlantic and, once again, made me proud to be a part of such a competent and hard-working team.
by Paula Thake
Todays Sightings
Ribeira Brava
09:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins
13:30 Sperm whales
Stenella
09:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins (Snorkeling)
18:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Striped dolphins, Bryde´s whale, Sperm whales
