Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles
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.
Perfect planning
For once, things went to plan! The weather was behaving (as was the group 😉 and on day two – we went to sea. Any anxiety on job roles and data collection methods on the boat were soon settled with our first sighting – thanks to the sharp eyes of Pia, we found a group of approximately 40 bottlenose dolphins. Many of them leaping clear of the water. A challenge to get the photos, but a great start.
This was soon followed by a sperm whale sighting. But the first sperm whale clearly got the same memo as the bottlenose, and began to breach. There followed over 15 sperm whale encounters, with many flukes photographed for ID purposes.
Blue mission
Our second day at sea began with intelligence on a blue whale, south of Pico. So our course was set. But first we were interrupted by the same group of bottlenose dolphins from the previous day and then distracted by a small group of sei whales. Common dolphin sightings and a ‘random’ sperm whale’ also did their best to divert us. Approaching the east end of Pico, we finally found the blue whale. Data and memories recorded. Well worth the effort.
The downside was we now had to travel against the wind and waves to get back to Horta. A ‘saw tooth’ course was the only way to tackle the conditions. Our slow speed also meant it was easy for some 200 bottlenose dolphins to catch up with us – quite a spectacle. More common dolphin and another loggerhead turtle encounter made for another productive and memorable day.
We love it when a plan works!
Read also: First I second I third I fourth I fifth I sixth I seventh I eight 2026 diary entry of the Azores whale and dolphin expedition. Also: all 2026 Azores diary entries on one page.
Author: Craig Turner
Craig Turner was born in Oxford, England. He studied biology, ecology and environmental management at Southampton, Aberdeen and London universities. After graduating from his first degree, he left the UK for expedition life in Tanzania. Since then, he has continued to combine his interest in volunteer travel and passion for conservation, working with a wide range of organisations on projects and expedition sites in the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. He has managed expedition programmes for the Zoological Society of London, and is a frequent contributor to the ‘Explore’ conference held by the Royal Geographical Society (RGS). He is a Fellow of the RGS and the Linnean Society. Having visited and/or worked in more countries than years have passed, he now runs a small environmental consultancy with his partner, based in Scotland, where he splits his wildlife interests and work between the UK and overseas. He also crews for the RNLI and is casualty care trained. He is ever keen to share his exploits, writing for several magazines, and is a published photographer.