July 2013 sighting statistics

July has been a perfect summer month with a touch of springtime feeling. We have sighted 13 species of cetaceans, 6 species of dolphins and 6 species of whales, including a Northern bottlenose whale and our first sighting of Bryde’s whales since 2008. We have been very lucky to see the baleen whales this month as they normally are passing by the Azores during spring time (the baleen whale season) when they are migrating past. We have had many great encounters with fin whales and sei whales, and one day with a minke whale. Our lookouts also saw orcas passing by the island but the boats never saw them.

• Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)  – 100%
• Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) – 81%
• Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis)  – 68%
• Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) – 29%
• Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) – 19%
• Pilot whale (Globicephalus spp.) – 3%
• Northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus) – 3%
• Beaked whale spp. (Mesoplodon spp.) – 3%
• Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) – 61%
• Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) – 3%
• Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) – 13%
• Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalis) – 6%
• Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni) – 6%
• Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) – 3%