Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles
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.
Surprise findings
The next day saw a similar pattern again, finding humpbacks to the north of Faial, punctuated with bottlenose and common dolphins. The still challenging conditions saw us seek calmer waters in the channel between Pico and Sāo Jorge.
There we had a surprise encounter with three Cuvier’s beaked whales – a very rare encounter over the past years. The calmer conditions meant a clear sighting for all. More surprises were to come as towards the end of the channel we found blue sky, calm waters (sea state 1) and common dolphins in crystal clear waters. We had briefly found ‘summer’. The journey home was a different matter!
On land
The inclement weather meant the first part of the week was on shore. A ‘data’ day filled the first shore day, and we were pleased to welcome back Maria Inês Silva to share her work on species distributions in the Azores. The team had then well and truly earned a day off and a chance to explore the island.
The final two survey days of 20226 remain….
Read also: First I second I third I fourth I fifth I sixth I seventh I eight I ninth 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.