{"id":472,"date":"2021-05-31T09:04:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-31T10:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whalewatchingazores.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/02\/all-that-you-should-know-before-do\/"},"modified":"2021-05-31T12:35:09","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T13:35:09","slug":"all-that-you-should-know-before-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whalewatchingazores.com\/blog\/all-that-you-should-know-before-do\/","title":{"rendered":"All you need to know before doing whale watching in Ponta Delgada"},"content":{"rendered":"
Do you know that Azores is one of\u00a0the best spots to do whale watching? And why is it? Well, since 1986 when the\u00a0whaling was forbidden in the Azores a total of 28 cetacean species have been\u00a0registered here. This is a third of all the species that can be found on the\u00a0earth!<\/div>\n
But what should we know before going\u00a0whale watching? In this post we explain all the things that you should know\u00a0before you do this activity.<\/span><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span>What do we see?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Around Azores we have 4 resident\u00a0species; sperm whale, common dolphin, bottlenose dolphin and Risso\u2019s dolphin.\u00a0However, when it is said that they are resident it doesn\u2019t mean that they are\u00a0found on all the tours. Instead it means that we can have encounters of these\u00a0species during the whole year. As a comparison, all of us are resident in our\u00a0house, but when we are going for the tour we are not at home, even though it is\u00a0our place of residence.<\/span><\/div>\n
Now you should be thinking \u201cwell and\u00a0what about the rest of the 28 species registered around Azores?\u201d The chance to\u00a0see a specific species depends on the season that the tour is done. During the spring\u00a0there is a increase in life in the water, referred to as the \u201cSpring bloom\u201d and
the conditions are really good for the biggest animals of the world, the baleen\u00a0whales (Blue whale, fin whale, sei whale\u2026) so the probability to see at least\u00a0one of these giants is really high. The<\/span>n in summer and autumn when the water is\u00a0warm enough the Atlantic spotted dolphins are around and also it is easier to\u00a0find huge groups of dolphins and more sperm whales due to it being the reproductive\u00a0season.<\/span><\/div>\n
If you would like more information\u00a0about the species that we have around our waters see this article<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

How do we find the animals?<\/span><\/h2>\n
It is important to know that even\u00a0the people who are working for our company don\u2019t know what is going to appear\u00a0in each tour. Every tour is a surprise for all of us, starting with the lookouts\u00a0who wake up really early in the morning to go to a high point from the coast\u00a0and look for blows and splashes with powerful binoculars, ending with the\u00a0people are on the boats. The lookouts decide if the sea conditions allow us to\u00a0do whale watching, because we are going to the middle of the Atlantic and\u00a0sometimes it is too rough to go out. Just remember that we are not going to a\u00a0swimming pool.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span>Strategic\u00a0points where our lookouts are based, looking for blows and splashes with
powerful binoculars:<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Whales and dolphins every day?<\/span><\/h2>\n
We try to do our best to show you\u00a0what we have along the south coast of S\u00e3o Miguel, but the whales and dolphins\u00a0are wild and they are wherever they want to be, so sometimes we just see\u00a0whales, sometimes we just see dolphins and often we see both. The average number\u00a0of species that we see per day is between 1 and 3 and we have the guaranty that\u00a0if we don\u2019t see anything, it will be possible to book another tour for free. So\u00a0remember, you are dealing with wild animals not trained ones, so we have to\u00a0deal with them with respect going slowly, quietly, respecting the distance and\u00a0being behind them to don\u2019t disturb them.<\/span><\/div>\n

Catamaran or zodiac?<\/span><\/h2>\n
If you prefer more a more\u00a0adventurous experience and to be closer to the water, the zodiac is your boat,\u00a0but you should be ready to wear a lifejacket during the whole trip.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Ready to go\u00a0out with our zodiac?<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span>On the other hand, you can choose\u00a0the catamaran, it is bigger than the zodiacs and you are able to move in the\u00a0boat without wearing a lifejacket. But remember to hold on please!! We are in\u00a0the ocean and there are always some waves.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n

What do we recommend for you to bring?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Important things to bring for a\u00a0whale watching tour:<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00b7\u00a0<\/span>A\u00a0warm and waterproof jacket (even in summer). On the sea it is always colder\u00a0than on land, there is always some wind and sometimes rain. <\/span><\/div>\n
\u00b7\u00a0<\/span>Sun\u00a0protection and sunglasses (if you have polarised sunglasses even better).<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n
To finish, the next three pieces of\u00a0advice are in case may help you to avoid seasickness: Bring water and some\u00a0snacks with you, it can help during the tours that are around 3 hours, don\u2019t\u00a0eat a heavy meal before the tour and look to the horizon while searching for\u00a0some whales.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span>Written by\u00a0V\u00edctor Ojeda<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
\n
Photos by\u00a0Ida Eriksson, David Rodrigues and Miranda van der Linde<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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