Our first trip was accompanied by the sun. We went out with our new boat and headed to a small group of Common Dolphins! The name derives from the fact that they are widely distributed. These dolphins were very calm and likely resting.
Subsequently we were able to observe two fin whales and a blue whale. They surfaced very often during slow traveling. The blue whale was missing its typical mottled colouration and was quite dark, like a fin whale. Do you know that hybrids between fin whales and blue whales are possible? However the only way to confirm that would be with a DNA sample.
In the afternoon sea conditions were very good, we could even see Santa Maria Island, about 80 km far from Saõ Miguel.
We spent again a lovely time with a group of Common Dolphins playing around our boat and some mating.
Then, a blue whale showed up further, at a bathymetry of 1000 meters deep. An even bigger one than this morning! It was travelling quite fast (between 7 and 10 knots – 15 and 20 km/h), so it was a bit difficult to follow. However, it surfaced several times so we could observe its typical mottled pattern and the very tall and columnar blow, which can reach 9 meters.
Here is a picture of the group joining us in the morning:)
It is the season of the big baleen whales, join us to share this amazing experience on the sea 😀