{"id":66,"date":"2019-09-16T18:16:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-16T18:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whalewatchingazores.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/16\/memorable-swimming-with-dolphins\/"},"modified":"2019-11-22T22:40:09","modified_gmt":"2019-11-22T22:40:09","slug":"memorable-swimming-with-dolphins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whalewatchingazores.com\/blog\/memorable-swimming-with-dolphins\/","title":{"rendered":"Memorable swimming with dolphins"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nIn the morning we had to travel quite a distance to get to the area of the cetaceans. When we got there, we had a large group of <\/span><\/span>Atlantic spotted dolphins<\/a><\/span><\/span>. They were quite playful and very curious. Turning towards the boat as they were bowriding and leaping next to the boat was their primary behaviour during this encounter. <\/span><\/span>
\nOne individual was even leaping multiple times. When we had a closer look, we saw a remora stuck to its body. So, the dolphin was likely trying to get rid of this fish as it was slapping its body on the side of the remora. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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You can see the remora on the left side of the dolphin in this picture<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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This individual also appeared to have an odd skin colouration which could have been a disease, or parts of the white spots could be scars. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Dolphin with odd colouration <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Then, having a closer look, it had a lot of pseudo stalked barnacles on the pectoral fins which, with this amount, was quite unusual. All in all, this individual, unfortunately, did not look very healthy. She did give us quite a show with her leaps and turns, to get rid of the remora. We managed to get a shot of the dolphin where we were able to determine the sex. A female dolphin has 2 mammary slits on the belly next to the genital slit. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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You can see the pseudo stalked barnacles on the pectoral fins of this female. Also, in this picture you can see genital and mammary slits<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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After being with these dolphins, we continued to try to find another species. As we were traveling, we encountered more and more small groups of spotted dolphins; the sea was full of them today! Eventually our lookout had called us to see a second species of the day, the <\/span><\/span>bottlenose dolphin<\/a><\/span>. This group was also social and turning underneath the catamaran. They were curious today as well. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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We however did not stay very long, as we had quite a journey to get back to Ponta Delgada. On the way there and back some of our boats managed to see some loggerhead turtles and the Bulwer’s storm petrel. One of our boats even saw a <\/span><\/span>Sei whale<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span> next to the spotted dolphins, however it disappeared quite soon after the sighting. Of course we cannot control nature.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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In the afternoon the first species to show up was the <\/span><\/span>striped dolphin<\/a><\/span><\/span>. They were very close to shore and at a certain moment very calm in the surface something that is not so usual with this species. In general, they were keeping some distance from the boat because usually, these dolphins aren’t so interested in these boats as some other species. We left them behind and we continued our quest to find other species. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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\nAfter some time of just seeing waves, out of the blue some dorsal fins started to cut the surface of the water. A gigantic group of Atlantic spotted dolphins. They were just traveling together but as soon as the boats arrived at the area they started to swim in our direction in full speed. These species are one of the most curious dolphins we have around here, often we see them playing with the waves of the boat and swimming really close to the boat while turning in the side to look to us. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Our swimming boats in the afternoon had a very memorable moment in the water. When they arrived at the area of the spotted dolphins the boats noticed something really big in the water. It was a huge ball of fish that the dolphins were feeding on. The swimming boats had a real National Geographic moment! <\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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