A Striped Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) porpoises next to Terra Azul boat.

 

Hi everybody,

Spring is coming and wildlife is everywhere out on the waters of São Miguel Island! Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are aggregating close to Vila Franca do Campo shores to feed and we even spotted them hunting alongside with Albacore Tunas (Thunnus alalunga).

 

Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) emerges next to Terra Azul boat.

 

Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis) are also joining the feeding frenzies and some are quite investigative, like the individual in the picture below that came to have a close look at us!

 

Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis) showing curiosity towards our guests 🙂

 

We also encountered a mixed pod of Striped Dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) and Common Dolphins! This could be a sign that the Spring is closing in, as the rising number of Portuguese Man’o’War (Physalia Physalis) would also suggests. You can admire one of these beautiful creatures in this amazing picture taken by our skipper Tiago 😉

 

Portuguese Man’o’War (Physalia Physalis). The different sections of the colony are clearly visible in the extremely calm water. If you wish to learn more about this organisms you can check our previous post HERE!

Lorenzo Fiori

About Lorenzo Fiori

Lorenzo is Main Guide and Technical & Scientific Director at TERRA AZUL. He is originally from Italy, holds a PhD about behavioral responses of humpback whales to swim-with-whales tourism activities in Tonga.

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