Today couldn’t have started in a better way!

On our morning trip the sun was shining and the sea was finally calm so off we went.

We started with a group of common dolphins that was quite busy having breakfast with lots of Cory’s Shearwaters. We can see this association frequently as the shearwaters like to take advantage of the dolphins work and eat the fish the dolphins push to the surface.

Portuguese Man O’War – the sea was full of them today

However, the best was yet to come…

Blue whales everywhere! Three very curious Blue whales stayed with us for a long time. With the engines off and the whales getting very close to the boat, we had a unique opportunity to wonder at their greatness!

After leaving them, we met another group of Blue whales feeding and a smaller intruder… a Fin whale.

These animals usually travel together or in pairs, so it was fantastic to have so many together! The trip finished with a quick look at a passing Sunfish and another group of playful common dolphins.

In the afternoon the wonderful weather continued, but the whales seemed to have left our coastal waters. We spend time with a lovely group of common dolphins who were just doing their mating rituals in front of our eyes. After a long waiting time, finally a Finwhale juvenile arose right next to the boat!

This trip also included the marvelous number of 21 Loggerhead turtles! There is a good explanation for this high number of turtles; the strong winds of the past days have blown in many Portuguese man o’wars (polyps) which are one of the main foodsources of these turtles. See photos below.

More news tomorrow 🙂

Milou

About Milou

Milou is Marine Biologist, and was Marine Wildlife Guide at TERRA AZUL from 2010 to 2019. She is from Holland, and is passionate about being out in the ocean with wildlife, informing visitors, and collecting field imagery and data for local Cetaceans and Sea Turtles Research & Conservation projects.

Your thoughts on this?