Remember how we saw a Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealisyesterday?…

So turns out that in the morning we sighted one individual as well. The Sei Whale was very calm and mixing again in the feeding area of the Atlantic Spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis). Sei whales prefer offshore waters, making it extra special to sight animals so close to land.

 

 

I cannot stress enough on how the Azores are just a magical place to sight cetaceans, because of its location- The Middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Map of the Azores. Copyright Kevin Holsapple

 

In our line of work we encounter people from all over the world, people with amazing life experience regarding cetaceans. Some guests and even staff have travelled around the world encountering, Belugas, Humbacks, Dusky dolphins, etc… but they all agree that the Azores is a unique place where one can sight sometimes more than one species in a matter of hours even minutes; Of course keeping in mind that we have to be in the right time and in the right place. If you are one of those lucky people, then I hope one day to hear all your amazing stories.

Exactly this happened today: 3 species where sighted, the third one being the Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). The Bottlenose dolphins were bow rowding a vessel nearby . If you love dolphins you know how cool it is to see them bow ride. It is a sight that never gets old, no matter how many sailing stories one may have.

Let’s wait and see how many sightings we still encounter of the Sei whales, I am really curious to see how many sightings we still are going to have during this summer  of these fast “Sea Cheetahs”.

Anaïs Builly

About Anaïs Builly

Anais Builly is Marine Biologist and Master of Biology, Ecology and Ecosystems, and of Bioproducts & Bioproduction of Marine Ecosystems, studied in France and South Africa. She is also Marine Wildlife Guide & Community Manager at TERRA AZUL. She is passionate about conservation of marine mammals, and loves being out in the ocean everyday.