05.08.2020 – Wonderful gifts of nature

If you have such a wonderful tour like today, it is always good to remember that nothing is taken for granted at sea. We are guests in this blue living room! There are no guaranteed sightings and there is no guarantee that it will be a close, beautiful, touching experience. The best mind setting is to be surprised by the wonders of nature and see everything as a gift. I am sure that our guests on the morning tour with Ribeira Brava experienced the same. The guests, the team, we all were all given rich gifts of nature today.

A group of Pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) was spread far out over the sea. At first, it didn’t seem easy to get in touch with them. But we were lucky guys and able to experience a sub-group very, very close. To our surprise, a Pilot whale mom brought her calf into our bow wave. This little marine mammal even had birthmark’s, a result of fetal folding. This touch of the tenderness of this little creature was a real gift!

From this sighting we went directly to our second sighting, the great, fantastic, cozy Rough Tooth dolphins (Steno bredanensis) had circled a kayak. As we approached, we became the focus of interest. We enjoyed the close contact that the animals were looking for. The white “lips” of this species of dolphin were wonderful to see. Of course, dolphins don’t really have lips, but the body drawing on the beak looks like whether these animals have a sunblock on their lips. This close contact was like a gift for our hearts!

Today’s sightings, but especially the curiosity of the children on board, was a gift to me. Thank you very much!

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Pilot whales, Rough-Toothed dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Atlantic Spotted dolphins

15:00 Pilot whales