Big groups of sperm whales and dolphins

The ocean has calmed down again so today we could go out to see some of the Azorean whales and dolphins. We started this day very well, with a big group of sperm whales. At first they were constantly going underwater, but with a bit of patience we managed to see a big part of the group at the surface. We were seeing their blows everywhere, even further in the distance, so we estimated there were about 20 sperm whales in the area! Among this family group we could also see some small calves. The morning tour ended nicely with another one of our resident species: common dolphins. As with the sperm whales, we could enjoy the company of a large group of these dolphins, and this group also included some newborn babies. The dolphins looked to have been finishing their breakfast, as we could see a lot of activity and many Cory’s shearwaters that often feed together with the dolphins.

In the aftenoon we started with the dolphins and then went to the whales. This time we encountered both our resident common dolphins and the seasonal Atlantic spotted dolphins, both in really large groups. The sperm whales were like in the morning – a large group spread out over a large area and coming and going to the surface. 

Photos from today: