16.10.2022 – Bodyguards

Today we had a tour that couldn’t be better on a Sunday morning. Not far from shore, two Bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus) surfaced in the calm sea. They came to visit our bow wave with a lot of muse and very relaxed. One of the animals turned and looked up at us. What a wonderful moment. Marine mammals have a soft eye lens that can adapt well to the different conditions of seeing above and below the water. We soon realized that these two Bottlenose dolphins still had a job to do. Today they were apparently bodyguards for a Tropical whale (Balaenoptera edeni) that suddenly appeared next to us. All three animals were deeply relaxed. We really only had to follow the dolphins for guidance, as they never strayed too far from this little baleen whale.

In the afternoon, we went in search of Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus). A little patience was required, but it was absolutely worth it. We’ve had wonderful encounters with these fascinating animals, which, although they are dolphins, with their rounded heads they look so different from the classic version of a dolphin. The animals were in a mood to get in touch with us. As we approached, a guest asked if this marine mammal species also jumps. I said no. And of course on this tour we saw an animal that jumped several times. This type of dolphin is not one of the dolphins that usually jumps. But this exact situation has happened before in my seventeen-year career as a whale watching guide. A guest asked about it, I said no, and a Pilot whale jumped. Next time, I will definitely answer “yes” ;). A wonderful reminder to always keep an open mind to all possibilities, in whale watching and in life. Another question asked on board today was how much Pilot whales eat per day. The information on this is between 27-50 kg.

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Tropical whales

14:30 Pilot whales

Stenella

12:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Tropical whales, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Pilot whales

15:00 Pilot whales, Blainville beaked whales, Striped dolphins