Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles
After two days of strong winds, the sun came out to welcome our first group of expeditioners arriving from both sides of the Atlantic. As always, the first two days are dedicated to full-on training to get everyone up to speed on the species of interest, ready to record valuable data out at sea.
As we were getting familiar with all the roles on board, the many different datasheets, GPS, transect log, phone app… there was a slight sense of information overload. Yet, once on board, the team really got into it, performed well and demonstrated they are up to the task.
Southwards of Pico, we spotted and recorded our first two groups of common dolphins, when the vigias – lookouts on land – informed us of something special further ahead. Sure enough, a little later Isabelle spotted a huge blow of 8 m high, which can only come from ‘the’ mighty gentle giant of the ocean, the one and only blue whale. Lisa commented it was a ‘small one’ of just 20 m, nevertheless we were all in awe, especially when the whale was cooperative and dived several times to feed, resulting in some good fluke shots.
It’s fair to say that our first day out at sea with a blue whale sighting kicked off this 18th annual expedition nicely. With good weather foreseen in the coming days, we are curious to see what else we can find. Meanwhile our photos of the blue whale have been sent to experts to see if they can identify the individual. Stay tuned for more.
Biosphere Expeditions: blogs from the frontline of wildlife conservation and the fight for a more sustainable planet 