27.09.2017 – Let yourself be surprised
October 5, 2017
29.09.2017 – Carlos Eagle-Eyes
October 7, 2017
Today was filled with surprises. In the morning we had a very successful snorkeling tour with a very enthusiastic participants interacting with a large pod of curious Atlantic Spotted dolphins. As we were slowly drying up and heading back towards the harbour we encountered a small group of Blainville’s beaked whales. Lately, they’ve been surprising us with very curious behavior; the animals actively approached our boat and spent minutes circling the vessel. On the way back to Calheta we met a group of offshore Bottlenose dolphins that were very active at the surface but did not grant us the same curiousity as the beaked whales and the spotted dolphins.
The attention I missed from the Bottlenose dolphins was definitely accounted for later on the Ribeira Brava trip at noon. Here, we saw a group of wonderfully inquisitive Pilot Whales that smoothly swam towards our charming fishing boat and spent over half an hour circling the vessel. One specific calf and its mother kept returning to the boat and stayed near the bow for a number of minutes.
My collegues on the later Stenella tours enjoyed similar sightings that also included an encounter with Bryde’s Whale in the evening. What a way to end such an eventful day!
by Paula Thake
Sightings
Ribeira Brava
13:30 Pilot whales, Loggerhead turtle
Stenella
09:00 Atlantic Spotted Dolphins (Snorkeling), Blainville’s Beaked Whales, Bottlenose Dolphins
15:30 Pilot whales, Atlantic Spotted Dolphins
18:00 Bottlenose Dolphins, Bryde’s Whale
