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Azores expedition 2026: Land & sea

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

Common dolphin in clear waters
Common dolphin

The last few days have been split between survey time on the boat and time on shore. Both dealing with data and having a well-earned break.

Humpback whale encounters were the theme for the weekend, but this doesn’t tell the whole story. Heading north on both Saturday and Sunday, our weekend started with a brief glimpse of a minke whale. There followed the search for two humpback whales which were trailed in 4 m swells, making it more than challenging to get ID photographs.

All the while both bottlenose and common dolphins were trying to distract us. But sperm whales then followed and meant a much ‘calmer’ afternoon.

One person, all bundled up in clothing, looking over the ocean from a boat
On the lookout for cetaceans
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Azores expedition 2026: Going to plan

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

Blue whale fluke
Blue whale fluke

The final ‘leg’ of the 2026 Azores Expedition has begun. We welcomed our third and final group. With greetings, briefings and training sessions efficiently covered, we were all keen to get out to sea.

Four people standing on the box of a boat in the ocean
Group 3 at work
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In an AI world, more people are turning to wildlife conservation

4 people looking at a herd of elephants at sunset
Elephants outside the Malawi expedition base

The latest Biosphere Expeditions Annual Magazine reveals how hands-on conservation is changing lives and delivering real results for nature.

Real experience in nature vs. the digital AI world

As digital technology reshapes how we live and work, a growing number of people are seeking something radically different: real-world experiences that reconnect them with nature, purpose, and each other.

The new 2025 Annual Magazine from Biosphere Expeditions captures this shift, telling the stories of everyday people who have stepped away from screens and routines to take part in hands-on wildlife conservation. From tracking wolves in Germany, to protecting coral reefs in the Maldives and surveying snow leopards in remote mountain ranges.

A large group of people waving into the camera, holding up a Biosphere Expeditions flag
Cover of the 2025 Annual Magazine
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How going on wildlife expeditions as a child shaped me as an adult

Child standing in the savannah, smiling
In Namibia 2005

I grew up surrounded by nature, conservation and expeditions. My father founded Biosphere Expeditions three years before I was born, so from a very young age, I travelled to places that most people only ever see in documentaries. Those experiences shaped how I see the world, how I travel and how I think about conservation.

My first expedition was in 2002, when I was just six months old, to Ukraine – which of course I don’t remember. But the expeditions I do remember had a huge impact on me.

In 2008 and 2010, when I was six and eight years old, I spent my summers in Namibia. I remember the vast landscapes, the people and, of course, the animals.

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Azores expedition 2026: Seeing sei

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

Fluke of a humpback whale thrashing ocean water
Humpback tail lob

Having now spent a few days at sea, the whole team is very familiar with the daily routine. Whether team members are on lookout, data collection or the camera, everyone knows their role on the boat. This seems to include starting most days with a humpback ‘hunt’.

Three people looking out over the ocean from a boat
On the lookout for cetaceans
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Azores expedition 2026: Changing fortunes

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

A person sitting on a boat with headphones on, listening for whales
Listening for whales

Our survey days often start quietly, with limited information from our vigias (lookouts). But on Tuesday things changed. Our luck, like the weather, improved.

Four people on the bow of a boat looking for cetaceans
On the lookout for cetaceans
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The moment conservation becomes personal: Stories highlighting the human heart of wildlife protection

Media release – 2 April 2026

Two people measuring and calming a sea turtle on a beach at sunrise
Two citizen scientists measuring and calming a sea turtle on a beach at sunrise

Around the world, ordinary people are stepping onto the frontlines of wildlife conservation. Not as tourists, but as citizen scientists, they help track species, collect critical data and support conservation of wild animals and places that would otherwise not be possible.

The new 2025 Annual Magazine from award-winning NGO Biosphere Expeditions brings these stories together, revealing the people behind global wildlife research and the real impact they are having in the field.

The Magazine celebrates the ‘Human Factor’. The volunteers, local communities and scientists whose lives have been touched by working on the frontlines of wildlife conservation.

Cover of the 2025 Annual Magazine "The Human Factor"
Cover of the 2025 Annual Magazine “The Human Factor”
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Azores expedition 2026: Baleen baptism

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

A group of people sitting around a table
Group 2

Welcome to group 2 – our most diverse (in terms of nationalities) this year. This includes our Singaporean quartet and our local student placement from Portugal.

Three people sitting in a boat on the ocean, looking at the water
On the lookout for cetaceans
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Azores expedition 2026: Fluking festival

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

A group of people standing on a boat smiling into the camera
Group 1

Successful sightings have continued for our last two days at sea.

Tuesday continued the theme of blue, fin and minke whales. We have now had more minke encounters in the past four days than I have had in eight previous whale and dolphin research expeditions to the Azores. Calmer seas definitely help with sightings! The now obligatory common dolphin encounter rounded off another great day at sea.

For people standing on the bow of a boat looking for whales
On the lookout for cetaceans
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Azores expedition 2026: Seaward

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

For people standing on the deck of a small boat, holding onto the railing, looking for whales
Out on survey

Our whale and dolphin research expedition has put to sea. It was choppy, but the team were delighted to be on survey.

We were soon rewarded with sightings of common dolphins south of Faial. We did try to go south of Pico, following up on reports of baleen whales, but the sea state and wind had other ideas!

A volcano jutting out of the ocean
Mount Pico
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