24.10.2020 Blue surprises

This morning, silence and peace spread like a fine cloth over the blue of the Atlantic. There was softness in the air. The encounter with the Short-finned Pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) was like a dream bathed in blue. The animals came very close and the water surface was so smooth that we could observe their graceful movements wonderfully. It was almost like being sucked into the moment with your eyes, with your heart. Phenomenal! This close encounter was a beautiful blue surprise! There was also a group of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) on this tour.

I didn’t want to hide two photos. In the morning it was already exciting on land. The marina’s buzzard, whose job it is to keep the seagulls away, enjoyed a moment of solitude. We also experienced his start of work;).

During our afternoon trip we observed as well Pilot whales and Bottlenose dolphins. The latter showed up in our bow wave of Ribeira Brava. It’s impressive to see these large dolphins glide through the water with elegance. The fast-paced Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) was our blue surprise on this trip. The identification of this baleen whale was easy, because when the animal appeared near the boat, we clearly saw the animal’s white lower jaw. By the way, fin whales are colored asymmetrically on their lower jaws, dark on the left, white on the right. By the way, fin whales are the second largest creatures on our planet. A fully grown animal can be 25 m long. However, our young Fin whale will need a little more time to reach this length.

All in all, a day full of surprises, full of awe of the beauty of nature. A day full of amazement and gratitude to be able to participate in this blue world of these unique animals.

By Fatima Kutzschbach

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins

14:30 Pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Fin whale

Stenella

15:00 Pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Fin whale, Striped dolphins