Turtle be like “Cowabunga”

If you grew up loving Superheroes you will understand the title if not, no worries I will explain: It refers to the famous reptile heros- “The Ninja Turtles” catch phrase…

Reptiles are quite unique animals and when you think about it, marine reptiles like turtles are quite impressive.

The Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) that was sighted today on our tour, will remain in the Atlantic waters up to 9 years without ever touching land- Crazy right ?

They stay underwater searching for different sources of food, yet they come back to the surface to breath and enjoy some sunshine rays. It is so nice to see them in their natural habitat, or being a cartoon character but definitely not in captivity.

We have also been enjoying these couple of months the Sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) passing trough and today was no exception, with the sighting of a resting whale. A good deserved rest to continue on with it’s migration.

 

 

Filipe, our lookout communicated through the radio that a bit further out he sighted something…

While navigating we realised that it was a Beaked whale, only half of the boat saw it. Beaked whales as we explained are noise-sensitive animals that will deepdive in order to feel safe. This is one of the reasons that sometimes not everyone can see them, but our lovely customers already knew that, since it is always explained during our briefing.

This being the main reason why science has still a lot of work ahead regarding the conservation and data accuracy regarding the different populations of Beaked whales worldwide.

And last but not least, let’s mention the beautiful group of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) that was socializing. Calves and adults enjoying the waters, surfing, communicating and enchanting our eyes. Gotta love the spotties and how social they are.

 

 

So regarding this tour all left to be said is – “Cowabunga”.