Big groups of dolphins with calves

Today we had were lucky to have very calm seas and great sighting conditions for our whale watching and dolphin swimming tours. In the morning we started of with an encounter with common dolphins not too far out of Ponta Delgada. After watching these resident dolphins for a while we headed further east while our swimmers stayed to swim with the common dolphins. At the eastern end of São Miguel island we encountered a large group of bottlenose dolphins. The dolphins were very social and we got to see several of their calves in the group.

 Bottlenose dolphins: Young calf surfacing alongside its mother

Bottlenose dolphins

Our afternoon tours began again with the common dolphins close to shore. As our swimming clients were in the water they had the bonus of seeing a loggerhead turtle right where the dolphins were passing. Later in the afternoon we also saw a large group of several hundred Atlantic spotted dolphins. There was a lot of activity within the group, as several dolphins were putting on amazing acrobatic displays while great shearwaters and Cory's shearwaters were swooping around (to the delight of several bird enthusiasts we had onboard), probably indicating that the dolphins were feeding.

Adult Atlantic spotted dolphin

Juvenile Atlantic spotted dolphin

Great shearwater

Another successful day on the sea

Today was another successful day on the sea for us. This morning we had a dolphin swimming tour and two other boats going out for whale watching. Although the sea was a bit rough in places, getting us all a bit wet, we managed to see 4 different cetacean species: sperm whales, bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins and Atlantic spotted dolphins. Recently we have not been seeing whales on as many of our tours as we did during the summer months, so it was a bonus to see the whales.

Our passengers this morning searching and waiting for a whale to come to the surface

One of the 3 sperm whales we saw together at the surface this morning

Lots of dolphins

The above photo shows some of our passengers watching a group of Atlantic spotted dolphins this morning. As well as this group of spotted dolphins we also encountered two groups of common dolphins on this tour. Our passengers included a few families, so we had several children onboard who really loved to see the large groups of dolphins swimming all around our boat.

Sperm whales to the West!

This morning our passengers were very happy to encounter a group of sperm whales! During our encounter we sighted 5 individuals: 3 adults, 1 juvenile and 1 calf. To see these whales we had to travel quite far to the west, to an area where the water is around 2000 meters deep! But it was well worth the trip, and we even got to see 2 of the adults raise their tales to go on their deep feeding dives. The following photo is of the last whale we saw, a large adult that raised it's tail particularly high to bring a fantastic end to our tour:

Before we saw the sperm whales we also had a really good encounter with a large group of common dolphins close to the coastline. We estimated there must have been more than 500 dolphins in the group, including many small dolphins...

3 species of dolphins

Today was a great day for seeing dolphins. On our whale watching tour this morning we saw 3 different dolphin species: Atlantic spotted dolphins, common dolphins and bottlenose dolphins. Although we haven't seen any whales for a while, it's great to see so many different dolphin species in one tour. Here are some photos from this morning's tour:

Atlantic spotted dolphin

Watching Atlantic spotted dolphins

Bottlenose dolphin

This afternoon we were able to observe the dolphins again. This time we also had a swimming tour which was really great, as our clients got to swim with a very inquisitive group of 12 or 13 bottlenose dolphins.

Common dolphins!!!

Over the past few days we have been seeing many groups of common dolphins. It's been a few days since we have een with whales, but the common dolphins have always been great to watch, making our tours worthwhile. We have been seeing very large groups of at least a few hundred common dolphins. Yesterday we saw a group together with a large number of seabirds, presumably feeding together at the surface. Today we saw the common dolphins travelling, which was great to watch as they all came leaping out of the waves together. There has never been a dull moment watching these common dolphins that we are able to view here year round. Here are some photos from the past two days:

Our latest sightings

Over the past few days we have had a mixture of sea conditions, but we have still managed to go out on several very good whale watching and dolphin swimming tours. Since Tuesday's big storm we managed to return to the sea this past weekend and again this morning. This morning the sea was a bit rough, but we were lucky to have a large group of common dolphins close to shore, just outside of Ponta Delgada. Our other recent sightings include a group of sperm whales (on the morning of the 29th), pilot whales (on the mornings of the 30th of September and the 1st of October) and several groups of Atlantic spotted dolphins, bottlenose dolphins and common dolphins. Here are some photos from these recent tours:

Sperm whales seen in the morning on the 29th

Pilot whales (mother and calf) seen on the 30th

Bottlenose dolphins (photographed on the 30th) swimming very close to our boats

Celebração do Dia Mundial do Mar com a Futurismo!!

Dia 29 de Setembro: Dia Mundial do Mar
Este dia foi celebrado através de uma acção de Responsabilidade Social dinamizada pela APSM em parceria com a Futurismo. A Associação de Portos dos Açores efectuou o convite para a participação neste evento à turma do 4º ano da EBIJ Santa Clara que veio acompanhada pelo professor António Barreto.

Para dar início a esta experiência, foi feito um briefing explicativo em como a caça da baleia foi a actividade primária na região relativa ao contacto com mamíferos marinhos e como se desenrolava essa mesma actividade e que técnicas foram reaproveitas para a observação de cetáceos.

Seguidamente foram descritas as principais espécies observadas na região ao longo do ano para que as crianças entrassem em contacto mais próximo com as baleias e golfinhos que habitam as nossas águas. Ao longo da apresentação foram esclarecidas todas as dúvidas que foram surgindo, garantindo a compreensão por parte de todos os meninos de todos os assuntos abordados.

Antes de embarcarmos garantimos que todos os meninos e monitores estivessem preparados para a chuva eminente e tivessem todo o equipamento obrigatório a bordo e lá fomos!!

Uma passagem pelo ilhéu de Vilafranca do campo constituiu uma oportunidade ideal para abordar estas crianças sobre a importância da conservação do meio ambiente e das espécies habitantes da nossa região, assuntos sobre os quais as crianças estão actualmente mais cientes. De facto, são as crianças as que se mostram mais alertas em relação a medidas a executar no dia-a-dia, tentando incutir essas medidas nas próprias famílias ( reciclagem, poupança de água e electricidade, etc.).

Um dia diferente e apelativo para estas crianças que se mostraram extremamente atentas a tudo o que se falou, curiosas em saber como eram encontrados os animais, a que distâncias é que podem ser observados, a que velocidades nadam e até que profundidade mergulham, etc..

A repetir definitivamente numa próxima oportunidade!!

Spectacular weather in São Miguel today: gale force winds with gusts up to 45 knots and swells up to 6m in height.. obviously not whalewatching weather but quite impressive all the same! We've been hiding in the office, hoping the water doesn't rise any higher. Time to catch up on the paperwork and photo ID catalogues for the cetaceans we photograph each day!

Tempo espectacular em São Miguel hoje: ventos fortes até 45 nós e ondas até 6m de altura.. claramente não é o tempo ideal para whalewatching mas muito impressionante! Temos estado escondidos no escritório, esperando que a água não suba mais. Tempo para pôr em dia a papelada e actualizar a foto ID dos cetáceos a que tirámos fotos cada dia!

An unexpected fin whale

A fin whale this afternoon!! Quite an unusual sighting for this time of year, although it may be one of the first of our sightings as the baleen whales migrate back south from their northerly summer feeding grounds. The most common time to see them here is during the springtime. This individual was a juvenile, and spent the afternoon feeding amid Atlantic spotted dolphins, great shearwaters, Cory's shearwaters, and yellow legged gulls. An unexpected treat for passengers aboard our fibreglass boat "Song of Whales"!

We had another great day on the sea today. Throughout the day we saw many sperm whales, and the sea conditions were excellent. We also had encounters with common dolphins, spotted dolphins and bottlenose dolphins. Here is a photo of one of the sperm whales we saw this afternoon:

Summer is still here

The last two days we have been really lucky with the weather and our sightings. The sky has been clear and we have had calm waters, making it much easier for our whale watching and dolphin swimming tours. During these last two days we have been seeing different groups of sperm whales as they pass our island. Both this morning and yesterday morning the sperm whales were feeding, so we got to see several of the whales raising their tails to go on their deep feeding dives. Yesterday socialising behaviour was also seen: in the afternoon least four whales were seen together at the surface. We currently have our afternoon whale watching tour on the sea, who knows what they may be lucky enough to see.

Sperm whales: Mother and calf

Sperm whale

Our dolphin sightings have also been great. This morning we spent some time with a large group of common dolphins while yesterday we saw four different dolphin species (bottlense dolphins, common dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins and Risso's dolphins). These photos show some of our more special dolphin moments from yesterday:

Watching a group of common dolphinsOne of our friendly resident bottlenose dolphinsRisso's dolphin leaping out of the water

Today was another one of those days that we could only go to the sea in the morning, as the wind picked up too much for our afternoon tours. Still we managed to get a good tour in. Our whale watchers and dolphin swimmers got to enjoy some time with a large friendly group of common dolphins. This is just one of the dolphins that was leaping alongside our boats:

This is just one of the many species that we can see here in the Azores. Lately we have also been seeing many Atlantic spotted dolphins and bottlenose dolphins, as well as pilot whales and sperm whales. One of our recent passangers, Ida Eriksson, has recently been on 6 tours with us, and was lucky enough to have some great encounters with many of these species. Click here to see Ida's blog that shows some photos and videos of these encounters. Thank you Ida.

One more note for today : a recommendation to check out the blog of Doris Thomas who visited us recently in Pico and has sent us the link to some of her incredible photos. Click here to see some great above and underwater action from dolphins and sperm whales, and read about her experiences whalewatching and dolphin swimming with Futurismo.

An interesting morning with big groups of bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins and Risso's dolphins to observe! The Risso's dolphins were especially interesting as they were repeatedly jumping and tailslapping.. perhaps some examples of the aggressive behaviour between individuals which results in the scratches and scarring on adult Rissos. These scars are thought to be caused by the teeth of fellow dolphins (Rissos have up to 14 teeth on the lower jaw), but also by their main prey, squid. They are born a dark grey but gradually become paler with age, with this scarring making the older individuals appear almost entirely white, especially on the head. This extensive pattern of scars and scratches means individuals can be identified using photo ID techniques, mostly focussing on the dorsal fins. So far they have not been as well studied as some other species of dolphin, due to their their timid nature and preference for deep oceanic waters. Click here for more information on the species and some great photos on the website of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

Finally we have beautful calm seas again! The wind of the last few days has finally tailed off and we went out this morning to sunny calm conditions with great visibility. Big groups of bottlenose, common and Atlantic spotted dolphins awaited us with plenty of jumps and acrobatics - and the water was clear enough to see the dolphins curiously swimming under the boats and bow-riding beneath the waves. This afternoon pilot whales also joined in the fun.

We've also been signing the Avaaz petition to help bring an end to bottom-trawling fisheries. This is the most destructive method of fishing worldwide; nets are dragged across thousands of miles of seabed, destroying everything in their path. Not only are the target species caught in the giant nets, but also everything else to be found in the nets' path which means an enormous amount of unnecessary bycatch which is killed but useless to the fishing industry. This is one of most important reasons to ensure that, if you eat fish, you know how it has been caught and avoid fish that has been caught using these unbelievably unsustainable methods. Please join us in signing this petition to the UN to voice our opinions - bottom-trawling is something that must stop if we want to continue seeing marine wildlife in our oceans!

One of our recent guests, Patrick Vertongen, has kindly sent us the link to some of his fantastic photos from his trips with us in the Azores... click here to have a look at some of his inspiring photography from here and around the world. Something for the rest of us to aim for maybe!

BBC blue planet feeding frenzy

A great dolphin swimming trip this morning! Our clients swam amongst a feeding frenzy of dolphins, birds and tuna. The Cory's shearwaters and great shearwaters are proficient divers and are great at diving down deep to feed on fish like mackerel and sardines which the dolphins corral into tight bait balls. This feeding association is well established between the dolphins and cagarros (as the Cory's shearwaters are known here in the Azores), and sometimes we are lucky enough to find ourselves right in the middle of it with a mask and snorkel! The incredible diving capacity of these shearwaters was captured by the BBC during the filming of Blue Planet and can look something like this.

A breaching sperm whale calf was the highlight of our trips this morning! The young whale jumped out of the water 7 or 8 times in a row, entertaining all our passengers with its playfulness. A few of us were lucky enough to get the moment on film..

Common dolphins and spotted dolphins this morning! Unfortunately we've had to cancel our afternoon trips due to the sea conditions, but luckily for the passengers who chose to book our full day trip including the afternoon at the Islet of Vila France the sun is still shining there.. The calm protected waters of the old volcanic crater means they're enjoying swimming and snorkelling while the waves increase outside of the islet!

August sightings

As it's the final day of August we at Futurismo have been looking back over our sightings for the month.. see below which species have visited us in the Azores and how often they've been seen. Our most prolific visitor, the migratory Atlantic spotted dolphin, has been seen on 93% of the days we've been at sea this month! It's a species we see a lot of at this time of year, usually large groups with plenty of calves swimming close alongside the adults. Sperm whales have been sighted 60% of the days this month, and fin whales made it onto the list which is unusual for this time of year!

To sum up our sightings this month (percentage of days we sighted each species):

• 
  
  Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis): 93%



• 
  
  Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus): 60%



• 
  
  Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis): 60%



• 
  
  Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus): 57%



• 
  
  Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus): 30%



• 
  
  Pilot whale (Globicephela macrorhyncus): 20%



• 
  
  Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba): 17%



• 
  
  Beaked whale (Mesoplodon species): 10%



• 
  
  Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus): 7%

Here's to many more..

Sperm whales, pilot whales, Atlantic spotted dolphins and common dolphins on our trips so far today! Seven sperm whales spent a while at the surface together before slipping beneath the surface. Our whalewatching boats saw two calves resurface after a few minutes while the adults remained submerged - it looked like one of the typical female and calf groups we see here on a regular basis.

Sperm whales

The rest of the morning was spent with a group of 9 or 10 pilot whales and a very dynamic pod of common dolphins, while our swimming group spent time with Atlantic spotted dolphins.

Pilot whale


Common dolphin

Recent sperm whale photos

Watching a friendly female sperm whale from one of our small boats

Watching a large male sperm whale "Mr Liable" from our large catamaran

A curious sperm whale approaching one of our boats

Large male sperm whale "Mr Liable" raising his tail to go on a deep dive

The above photos are of some of the sperm whales that we have been seeing in our waters recently. The sperm whale is the main whale species seen in the Azores, especially during the summer when we can frequently see large family groups. This year in July and August so far we have seen sperm whales on 67% of the days that we have been whale watching. The islands of the Azores are a breeding and feeding ground for these large social animals. This year we have been lucky to have many sperm whales passing São Miguel island, including several mother with their calves and the occasional male such as Mr Liable that occasionally visit the female groups. When we are not watching sperm whales we are most likely with a group of one of the many dolphin species that we can see here. We welcome you to come and find out for yourself why the Azores is considered one of the top whale watching locations in the world!

All our trips today have been enjoying the sight of thousands of Atlantic spotted dolphins! At one point we could see dolphins to the horizon, a super pod spread out over a huge area. It's great to see the dolphins like this in the summer months, with plenty of young animals in their groups, swimming alongside our boats and showing off with acrobatics.

Two great shearwaters resting on the water

We've also been noticing the large number of great Shearwaters (Puffinus Gravis, above) in the area at the moment. These birds follow a circular migratory route up the Eastern seaboard of South and North America before crossing the Atlantic in August. They can be also be seen quite commonly off the south-western coast of Great Britain and Ireland before heading back down the Eastern littoral of the Atlantic to their breeding sites on islands in the South Atlantic. Here we've been observing them feeding at the surface with spotted and common dolphins, you can see above one bird ducking its head into the water checking for small fish.. Click here for a excerpt from the log of The Odyssey when they encountered great Shearwaters on their voyage and a great explanation of the Mid-Atlantic ridge which we're a part of here in the Azores.

It was an exciting trip for passengers and crew alike this morning as we had our first sighting in nearly four months of a large male sperm whale we call "Mr Liable"! He has been sighted in these waters since 2008 when we first started our photo ID catalogue of the sperm whales we see on our trips, so has possibly been visiting São Miguel for much longer.

We can identify individual sperm whales by their tail flukes and any distinguishing marks on their bodies, which is why we photograph every sperm whale we see lifting its tail as it dives. By comparing these photos with our ID catalogue we can recognise individuals and learn more about their movements. This particular whale for example was last seen May 2nd this year - like many male sperm whales he visits this breeding ground periodically to breed and rarely stays long. The majority of our sightings here are females sperm whales and their young.

Our boats are still out this afternoon so we're looking forward to hearing whether they have another encounter with this large whale (we estimate him to be about 18 metres long!) - plus the other species we observed this morning, Atlantic spotted dolphins.

More species interaction this morning with a sperm whale calf playing with a group of bottlenose dolphins! The calf was alone with the dolphins for a while before being joined by three adult sperm whales who watched from the sidelines. It wasn't long before an adult female we assume was the calf's mother joined in the fun. The whales were rolling around at the surface while the dolphins swam and jumped alongside them - really interesting to watch the socialising between the species.

Other species viewed on our whalewatching excursions today included Atlantic spotted dolphins and common dolphins, which were the animals our dolphin swimming groups spent their trips with.

7 cetacean species in one day!

Today was another excellent day of whale watching for Futurismo. Throughout the day we have seen 7 cetacean species: sperm whales, pilot whales, beaked whales, Risso's dolphins, bottlense dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins and common dolphins.

One of our boats had a particularly special encounter this morning with a group of pilot whales together with 3 beaked whales. Beaked whales are normally very difficult to watch because they spend very little time at the surface and they are very shy. But these beaked whales stayed on the surface for a long time so everybody could see them very well. An added bonus was a very small newborn pilot whale that was also in the group.

Our sperm whale sightings today were also really good. We were lucky to have 2 very large male sperm whales in the area today and the water has been calm all day so we could see them very well. During both our morning and afternoon tours we got to see some great high tails as the sperm whales went on their deep dives. Another great day for us at Futurismo!