What an amazing sunny day in São Miguel!
12 degrees Celsius (one of the coldest days of the year) and a very placid Ocean: Not bad for winter time! Just five minutes and we were welcomed by a nursing pod of Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis). The group was basically formed by a dozen of mothers and their calves. Adults were resting while calves were extremely active and started investigating our vessel.
A young Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) leaving a trail of bubbles. Underwater blows are believed to be part of cetacean communication behavior.
Our land spotters directed us offshore looking for a blow. According to their description it was a baleen whale, maybe a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). However, the species will remain a mystery as we and other whale-watching boats could not find it, even after a long and patient search. This is a good example of how wildlife can be unpredictable and most likely the whale was already too far South, out of our sight and out of the range of vigias’ powerful binoculars. So we decided to search in another area on our way back closer to shore and we could find another dolphin’s group hunting for fish.
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