Sperm whales and uncommon dolphins in São Miguel

Summer days keep on coming! The sea was really calm today and this sunny morning started with a playful pod of common dolphins.

They enjoyed bowriding and jumping around our boats. We usually see a large number of calves in summer because the water temperature helps them survive. We have been seeing lots of calves and some new-borns dolphins these weeks, so it means that love is in the sea.

Suddenly, we were informed by our lookouts that a big male sperm whale came to the surface so we headed to that direction. The male was tail slapping a couple of times!

This way, we could confirm that it was a male that we have seen here quite frequently, his name is Mr. Liable! One of the few males that we see here in the Azores. Most of the sperm whales seen here are females with juveniles and/or calves as they prefer warmer waters. The adults males are solitary and tend to travel to colder waters.

Then we ended the trip with some Risso’s dolphins They were near the fishing boats, and often they steal the fish and squids from the fishermen. The Risso´s dolphins were quite playful today and actually approaching the boats, which is not a typical behaviour seen here in the area.

In the afternoon, we returned to the ocean and Mr Liable was still out there. We started the tour with a nice encounter with him. We didn’t have to wait long after we arrived to the area where he was diving, and he was already up at the surface. He showed us his beautiful big tail, which was followed by a short trip to some female sperm whales that were also in the area.

First we encountered a female we call Penakabe, and next to another female from the same family of sperm whales. It’s a family we saw a lot last week, so it seems they are here to stay for a while.

Another cue
of foraging whales!! Of course, when sperm whales eat around this area, they
need to digest the food, and therefore… here you have… sperm whale faeces
on the surface while fluking for another foraging dive!

Closer inshore, we encountered the same two resident dolphin species from the morning. The common dolphins were very playful around the boat and we got to see them well through the clear water.

The Risso’s dolphins were very calm and there were several babies in their group. One of the babies was a young newborn that still had fetal folds (vertical lines on the skin from being in the uterus recently). It was really nice to see the contrast in colour between the white adult Risso’s dolphins and their dark calves.