08.08.2022 – Garden of eden

The Atlantic Ocean has, without a doubt, become one of my favourite places on the planet and I’m positive that I share that sentiment with all of my team members and several of our guests. The ocean is our garden of eden, a magical place where surprises await us every single day.

Today our tours were filled with a few enticing sightings, from a pod of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) to a group of Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in the morning, up to a curious nursery pod of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and their little playful calves later in the afternoon.

All encounters enchanted our guests but our team never forgets to communicate a very sobering reality; All cetaceans are under threat because of how we exploit and neglect our oceans and we must be grateful for every moment that we are lucky to share with these intelligent but vulnerable creatures. Just recently a pod of 500 Bottlenose dolphins was slaughtered near the Faroe Islands, a massacre that reminds us of how perspectives on the importance of these marine mammals vary across the globe. The mighty Fin whales were amongst the many baleen whale species that were almost hunted to extinction and today still suffer through whaling activity and noise pollution. Spotted dolphins, a key species when it comes to understanding the social behaviour of cetaceans in all its complexity, are victims of harassment as well as whaling.

Our ocean is indeed our garden of eden and, like the biblical oasis of life, it is a fragile place that may one day be destroyed through our ignorance. Unlike the legendary garden, however, the ocean can recover if we give it the time and space to do so and the effort is very worthwhile. Conservation areas that allow the recovery of marine life are being established across the globe which can help facilitate the gradual mending of marine ecosystems. We must all work together to protect our oceans and our precious marine life for future generations so that we can continue to have the honour of sharing this unique planet with these incredible creatures.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Fin whales

15:00 Bottlenose dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins (snorkeling)

14:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins

17:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins