Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (Stenella frontalis) calf practicing his leaps

A rough day at sea is better than any day at the office.

This morning our brave guests went out on a pretty wild sea. The wind was blowing from the east across the surface creating high waves. Our lookout spotted a big pod of Atlantic Spotted Dolphins (Stenella frontalis) travelling to… yes the east :-). So we had to brave the waves. What an adventure on this blowy ocean. The excitement only got bigger when we encountered the dolphins. Probably they just finished feeding. Some Cory’s Shearwater were still around, hungry for dessert. Atlantic Spotted Dolphins are mostly in a friendly and curious mood. Today was no different. They started to socialize and approached our boat. We even saw a tiny newborn, being probably not more than 90 cm.

The weather conditions didn’t allow us to take pictures today, but here some nice shots from earlier.

 

 

 

Baby Spotted Dolphin training how to breach (Stenella frontalis)

 

Later on the tour, close to Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo, we also got surprised by a travelling group of Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis).

 

Jessie Ocket

About Jessie Ocket

Jessie has a strong passion for the ocean and wildlife. Joined the TERRA AZUL team as Volunteer Marine Wildlife Guide in 2019, enjoying out at sea with wildlife, accompanying and informing visitors, and collecting field imagery and data for local Cetaceans and Sea Turtles Research & Conservation projects.