azwhales
We started our morning knowing that we had baleen whales close to the island and indeed we spotted them!
We could see two Sei whales travelling together, even they get interested with our catamaran when it was the only boat around. A really nice sighting of these two individuals. One of the Sei whale defecated and we could collect it for our future analysis to know more about them.
The lookouts were spotting more blows and our small boats went to have a look for us to increase the chances of seeing more animals, they were more Sei whales.
Then a group of dolphins appeared closer to Ponta Delgada, they were bottlenose dolphins, who were interested in our boats giving us a great show. In this group, we saw an individual that we know since some time, and we call it Kiss, have a look in our pictures and you will understand why.
In the afternoon, we headed east, always with our eyes fixed on the horizon, searching for animals.
After some time navigating and with the help of our lookouts we encountered a big group of female sperm whales with their offspring. In the middle of the group, there was also a calf.
We managed to count up to 12 different individuals, very calm, socializing. We stayed with them for a long time and could appreciate details from their anatomy. Some of them turned upside down and the white belly was shimmering through the water surface. Also some of them showed half of their fluke while rolling.
In the end, we left the area with the sensation of having witnessed a unique encounter and on the way back we could even spot a loggerhead turtle.
Let’s see what else is waiting for us in the sea tomorrow!
azwhales
Futurismo Biologists Team
Sandrina Rodrigues
