03.04.2023 – Bubble raft with attachment

A day full of dolphins and many other wonderful sea creatures is behind us. In the morning there were Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). We also encounter a mixed group of both species. Our advantage: the otherwise shy Striped dolphins adapted to the behavior of the Common dolphins and behaved interactively with the boat. Both species of dolphins have beautiful body markings. We fished a balloon out of the water. It may be a nice thing for a children’s birthday party, but unfortunately many balloons end up in the sea and can pose a danger to marine animals.

In the afternoon there was also our mixed group with Common and Striped dolphins. Afterwards we encountered a school of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis). Three Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) floated on the sea surface. This was a special treat for one of our little guests, because his lesson in school was about sea turtles. On our tour today, he was able to experience a sea turtle in its natural element. A special moment. Daniel showed our guests the protective trick of the triggerfish (Balistidae), which can set up a hard spike on the front of the head when threatened, giving the predator no chance of devouring it. A beautiful little creature, a violet snail (Janthina janthina) drifted gently through the sea with its bladder float. Our little guest, a crab fanatic, got the opportunity to see two crabs up close. Finally, our guests also got to see Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) and quite a few Portugiese man-o-war(Physalia physalis). A varied journey through our blue office!

The encounters with the dolphins were beautiful and close and the joy of the children, both in the morning and at noon, was wonderful. That pleased me the most.

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09.30: Common dolphins, Striped dolphins

13.30: Common dolphins, Striped dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins

Stenella

09.30: Common dolphins, Striped dolphins

13.30: Common dolphins, Striped dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Loggerhead turtles, Cory’s Shearwater, Bubble rafting snail, Portuguese Man-o-war