Hello whale watchers,   The ocean was a hive of activity today, incredible! The weather gave us a narrow time window to visit the ocean in the morning. It was already clear at the time of leaving the harbour that we were in for an adventurous experience! The waves were rolling in strong from the east, with many whitecaps scattered over the greenblue ocean surface. We headed west. Only a few miles off Lagoa, we encountered our first species: Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). They made a grand appearance, porpoising out of the waves in great numbers! We could count at least 5 ..read more

  Ooh-la-la, the 8th of January turned into a magical day for our whale watchers! As we left the harbour of Vila Franca do Campo, we crossed the Princess Ring Islet to make our way west. Our first destination: a pod of Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis). The group we encountered consisted of around 30 dolphins, including adult males (easily recognised by their peduncle keels), adult females, and juveniles. Looking at the way they were moving around the area, the dolphins might have been foraging for fish. Common dolphins are one of the most frequently sighted cetacean species in the Azor ..read more

  Whales and dolphins are not the only kinds of wildlife that we encounter during our tours. We often see seabirds, and occasionally we find sea turtles, sharks, rays and other fish. Our first tour in December not only gave us wonderful cetacean sightings, they also allowed us to find a bird species that is considered to be a rare visitor in the Azores.   Two common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) surfacing alongside our zodiac.   On the 2nd of December, we began our morning with a sighting of Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis). It was a group of circa 40 adults and juveniles tr ..read more

  We are taking a small step back in time. To the last days of November to be more precise. We ended the month with three whaley good trips!   On the 29th of November, we were lucky enough to have two tours. We started our first tour with three Sperm Whales (Physeter macrocephalus) – one adult and two juveniles. We were given the chance to observe the elegant tail of the adult female before she went down for a foraging dive. Her flukes were very distinctive – missing both tips – and perfect for future identification. On our way back, we moved towards an area very close to t ..read more

  Hello ocean lovers,   The November weather has been up and down. We’ve been alternating between long periods of bad weather and 1-2 days of favourable sea conditions. Today, after 9 long days on land, nature finally allowed us to visit the ocean again. It was a cloudy morning, almost completely overcast: grey sky, grey ocean…but our sightings were incredible!   The first encounter of the day served as a great reunion with a species we haven’t seen in quite a while: the Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). The last time we saw this species on our tours was more than a month ..read more

Hoi hoi ocean admirers, These past three days have been full of nice trips and encounters. After waiting and waiting for the stormy wavy weather to disappear, we could finally go out three days in a row on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. And what a pleasure it was to be back at sea. We were already missing the ocean and the animals so much. On Wednesday, we got a really nice sighting with our lovely Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis). They were close to the islet which made it an even more interesting landscape and sighting. Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) porpoising around   We con ..read more

  Hello whale watchers,   We have entered the autumn season and have left the summer days long behind us. So it is time to sum up our sightings during the summer months of 2021!   The month of June was overall a great month for the “Big Four” of the Azores. We encountered Sperm Whales (Physeter macrocephalus) during 70% of our whale watching tours. With a total of 34 encounters they were the most frequently seen cetacean species on our tours. Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and Risso’s Dolphins (Grampus griseus ..read more

Hey there, Today was a beautiful day with a flat and deep clored Sea. As it is already october, the wind is starting to make our travels a bit more chilly. But no worries, the sun is still there transforming the Island into a Winterland Paradise. Curious as always, we were looking to observe some wild animals in their habitat. Well, as Aristotle once said : ” Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet “. And todays fruit was very sweet. We had quit a long trip towards the “Whale Zone” but our patience got rewarded by amazing sightings. As we were still following the indications of the vigia (l ..read more

  The next couple of weeks will revolve around a species that is iconic to the waters of the Azores: the Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris borealis). Why? From mid-October to mid-November, juvenile Cory’s shearwaters – only a few months old – leave their nests for the first time. Soon they will embark on their first transoceanic flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Leaving the nest at night, they use the celestial lights to orientate themselves. They let the moon guide them. However, artificial lights on the streets confuse the young shearwaters, which at the same time are also still building t ..read more

  The ocean was serene and beautiful. Great visibility, with Santa Maria island adorning the horizon. Very little wind, some clouds here and there, and great wildlife sightings! Our guests often ask us when is the best time to see whales and dolphins…morning or afternoon? The reality is that there is no “best” time. We cannot predict what species we will see, how many animals, or where we will see them. Nature often presents us with wonderful sights, but exactly what she gives…that is a surprise. In the morning, the sea conditions were perfect. Glassy and dreamy. We looked far and wide fo ..read more