Flat sea, silver light and dolphins

Today we had at least 150 dolphins around us, both common dolphins and bottlenose dolphins. The common dolphins were busy feeding and searching for food, but the bottlenose dolphins were curious, playful and full of energy. We got to play a lot with them, racing us, jumping high and bowriding, and we could hear them well from the boat. In one of the groups we got to see our well-known dolphin friends "Egípcio" and "Submarine". On our way back one of our crew members sighted a loggerhead turtle but it dove and we couldn't find it.

Photos and video from today:

Video of a large group of bottlenose dolphins approaching us

Bottlenose dolphin

Bottlenose dolphins

Bottlenose dolphins

Bottlenose dolphins

Bottlenose dolphin

Bottlenose dolphin

Bottlenose dolphin

Bottlenose dolphins

Bottlenose dolphin

Bottlenose dolphin jumping in front of our zodiac

Bottlenose dolphin approaching us

"Submarine"

Bottlenose dolphins

Bottlenose dolphin

Common dolphin

Common dolphin


Great skuas

Baby dolphins

Today we went out with two zodiacs on a beautiful blue sea and great sunshine, but more important - great dolphins. We started with a large group of curious bottlenose dolphins being "flipper" dolphins, and later on common dolphins with newborn babies in their groups. Babies still with fetus folds from being all curled up inside the womb of the mother.

Photos from today:

Bottlenose dolphin calf and mother

Bottlenose dolphin

Bottlenose dolphins

Picking up a squid

Common dolphins

Common dolphin baby

Common dolphins and a surprise bottlenose

Today we left the marina with the knowledge that our lookout only saw a small group of dolphins, but still we (the clients with us) decided to go out and see what we could find. We did have a group of common dolphins around some fishing boats, they were more interested in the fishing boats then us but full-body jumps out of the water makes it all worth it. Later our lookout spotted bottlenose dolphins (what lovely surprise today), and we went to see them, we had one individuals looking at us by sticking its head out of the water. For the crew, it sure was nice to back on the water after many days on land due to bad weather.

Common dolphin

Great skua

Black-legged kittiwake

Black-legged kittiwake with a fish

A bottlenose dolphins diving

Watching Vila Franca Islet

Common dolphins everywhere

This morning we had common dolphins everywhere, they were very spread out, but curious towards our boat, surfing the waves and bowriding. We also saw plenty of birds, both out on the sea and close to the coast. We made a little stop in Caloura to see the fishing harbour, the lava rocks and the birds. We saw great skuas, a Cory's shearwater, a couple of Azorean buzzards, rock pigeons, yellow-legged gulls, black-legged kittiwakes and a little egret. We had nice weather out on the ocean, but now in the afternoon, on land, we are getting some rain. It is good to be inside, be drinking some nice hot tea and for everybody reading this: have a nice weekend!

Photos from today:

Common dolphins

Taking a photo of common dolphins

Common dolphin bowriding

A common dolphin lacking the yellow color, with a calf

Yellow-legged gull and a little egret

Caloura harbour

Dolphins and almost a whale

Today was a day of hide and seek with the animals. We started with a mixed group of common dolphins and bottlenose dolphins, but we didn't stay long because our lookout saw a blow. We went to the area of the whale, which seemed to be a fin whale, and we searched, waited and tried our best, but we couldn't find the whale. We had to give up and we started to go back, but on the way back we saw many small groups of common dolphins, that were really playing hide and seek with us. Photos from today:

Common dolphin