Tag: travel

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Azores : People, place, project

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

That’s all folks. It is time for final diary entry. The end of the expedition is suddenly upon us, and five weeks seems to have flown by, with the international team now gone. Before I wrap the expedition, let me first recap the last few days:

Our final day at sea presented yet more great sightings. Most notably was another fin whale and not one, but two more humpbacks – one far easier to photograph than the other, but still a favourite amongst many. Add to this, more sperm whales, common and bottlenose dolphins and it was another great data haul. Sea conditions and our continued search for more sightings put us close to Capelinhos – the most recent volcano to erupt in the Azores – at the west end of Faial. This presented an opportunity for another first in 2025 – a circumnavigation of Faial – as the seas were easier to navigate to the north. Our 2025 data collection ended with our final loggerhead turtle.

This ocean-based tour of the island gave the group a better feel of where to visit on their day off – with many heading back to Capelinhos. But on our last day we were thwarted at the final hurdle, in our effort to go to sea, by bad weather, but this presented another opportunity to sort more data. Not how we would wish to end, but you can’t argue with the Atlantic Ocean – just accept that plans may often change. So that concluded our data collection and sorting, on another really successful expedition in the Azores.

This year we’ve again documented an impressive array of records that without Biosphere Expeditions, would not have been collected. Here are just some of our highlights. We have

  • deployed three teams into the field, comprising 8 different nations, spanning multiple decades
  • completed in excess of 84 hours of surveys, covering over 1400 km of the ocean
  • collected data on at least eleven different cetacean species (six whale and five
    dolphin species), one turtle species and numerous birds
  • encountered more than 125 cetaceans,
  • confirmed some positive whale IDs, and several re-sights, but also have
    numerous new flukes – i.e. individuals never recorded before


Data in isolation can be a bit ‘dry’, and lack context, as field research rarely gives us instant results (though fluke matches are coming through) or fast answers to our bigger questions. But we’ve collected another great baseline of data and the full results will become clearer in the expedition report. The power of this simple field data builds over time, as has been illustrated by our excellent invited speakers (thank you, to all).

Whilst we comb the see and learn about the cetaceans and contribute to the ongoing data collection on this project (19 years and counting), it is not always all about the project. What also makes the project so special is the people. So let me initially offer some thanks. First off, to our three groups, who stepped up to the daily challenge of data collection to achieve our goals of better understanding the spatial and temporal distributions of the cetaceans and turtles of the Azores. You’ve not only all contributed to advancing this knowledge and making this expedition a success – you have also been great fun to work with and not given the expedition leader too much stress!

We also thank the wider Biosphere Expeditions team, as this project can’t happen without the unseen preparation, often months before we even set foot on a boat. I also extend thanks to all in Horta who have supported us, particularly Norberto Divers, the lookouts and our various caterers – whose food has more than sustained us! We also extend our thanks to our hosts (Silvia & Mario) and the project base, of course to Lenita (our housekeeper) who ensured we were more than comfortable. I (like many) can also not forget our skippers (‘Pico’ Pedro & Pedro 2), who not only took us to sea, but ensured the team knew the sea state, wind direction, cetacean locations and always got us back to port safely – thank you gentlemen. Finally, our collective thanks go to Lisa. A constant force for knowledge and our leader in all things scientific. It is always a privilege to share in your world of cetacean fieldwork.

We have also had the great privilege of briefly experiencing life in Azores. As I mentioned in my very first diary entry (if you remember!), who doesn’t want to live on a volcano, in the middle of an ocean, searching for a diverse array of charismatic cetaceans. The allure of this fascinating archipelago is strong, and I don’t doubt that some of us will return, in the not too distant future – there are many reasons to come back.

For me personally it has been great to have the opportunity to return to the Azores, work on the project, in this wonderful place and meet old and make new friends. It has been a blast, but all good things come to end and now I too must make my way home. Time to head to my place in Scotland, catch up with my own family and see what projects we take on next.

Thank you.

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Azores : New direction

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

The early part of the week brought a change in the winds, and a change of direction for our surveys. We initially headed north to follow up a report of a humpback whale in the area. This was our first time north of Faial this year, and heading into a north-westerly wind and building waves made the search harder than we wanted, but the humpback was finally located – a favourite species for many.

Staying with it brought more challenges, and having briefly lost it, the team spotted what we initially thought were the characteristic white pectoral fins in the waves, but this turned out to be a random sighting of Risso’s dolphins – doing their best to distract us. They achieved this briefly before the humpback was re-found and ID photos secured.

Subsequent surveys and sightings brought more dolphins in the form of common and bottlenose, the latter being less frequently sighted, but have now been located by all three expedition groups. So more dorsal fin ID images to process and catalogue.

We also spent a day south of Pico (very familiar territory) tracking sperm whales. It is still surprisingly easy to lose these magnificent beasts, as they can dive for 45 minutes. This gave us an excuse to deploy our hydrophone – a sophisticated underwater microphone – so we can listen in on the underwater world, and hopefully locate sperm whales and other species. It wasn’t as effective as we hoped, but our lookouts were able to locate more whales – with ‘eyes all around’.

Using the hydrophone kit was timely, as we welcomed Sarah Kather for dinner. She studied sperm whale vocalisations for her Master’s Thesis (at the University of the Azores) and gave a fascinating insight into the importance of sound-based communication (and noise pollution) for various cetacean species.

Amongst all this, Lisa also managed to match some of the sperm whale flukes documented from our earlier sightings, showing three individual females had been repeatedly recorded up to ten times over a sixteen year period. This further highlights the importance of the Azores to this species.

Fingers crossed for our final days on the 2025 expedition.

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Azores : Azure expeditions

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

We have commenced the third and final part of the 2025 Azores expedition. It is great to have another diverse and enthusiastic group. With the welcomes, greetings, briefings and training sessions out of the way, we were all keen to get out to sea. Again, the weather made us wait a day, but used the day with more training and science presentations.

Our first day at sea was a triumph. Starting almost where we had left off – with a blue whale. That means blue whales have been seen on all but one day at sea this year – which is incredible. Next were a large group of sperm whales, who again were not the most cooperative, with very few fluking – so limited ID data, but a great job by the team for keeping up with all the sperm whale sightings. Add in some common dolphins, a loggerhead turtle, and this was a great start.

But our day was not done, it ended almost as it began, with another blue whale sighting, but this turned out to be a pair of blue whales – a first for this year. I am beginning to think we should rebrand to the Azure Expedition!

Our second sea day was less frenetic, but had a common theme – blue whales. We also recorded a large male sperm whale and common dolphins as we travelled along the south of Pico, using the volcano as a shield from the prevailing winds and thus take advantage of the calm-ish waters.

It has been a good start to the last leg, and here’s hoping our luck continues.

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Azores : Whatever the weather

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

In the words of Crowded House, it feels like we’ve been ‘walking round the room singing stormy weather’, as the seas have put on quite a show. This has also curtailed our boat time but not put a full stop to data collection or image processing – there are always things to do on the expedition – whatever the weather!

Indeed the worst of the sea conditions provided an opportunity for a day off and time spent exploring Faial, and enjoying the visual spectacle of the mid-Atlantic. It also gave an opportunity to process more data, and the chance for another talk; this time from Cláudia Oliveira from the Azores Whale Lab on the role of photo-identification and bioacoustics for sperm whale studies. Again, illustrating the power of data collection such as ours.

Over the past few days, we have travelled almost 400 km over four days at sea. The group has been able to add vital cetacean data to this year’s haul, add a new bird species, and the numbers of encounters and individuals have also increased. A great effort by another great group.

So, as we bid group 2 farewell, we now welcome group 3; and we hope you bring the luck with the whales and the ‘weather with you’.

Safe travels all.

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Azores : Restricted area

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

The Azores sits in the middle of North Atlantic ocean, but the weather and sea state can still restrict us to a relatively small area for surveys. This has been the case for the past few days.

Following a shore day on Wednesday and a chance to explore the island of Faial, we headed out to sea, more in hope than expectation. We were initially rewarded with an extended common dolphin sighting, close to the south of Faial. This was followed by a second encounter, in the waters protected from the worst of the winds.

Our luck then improved further, with a ‘random’ blow sighted, which of course turned out to be yet another blue whale. And during the course of obtaining the required ID pictures (great job Pixy), a second blow was spotted, but heading into the worsening seas, so we gave no chase. Whilst waiting to photograph both sides of ‘our’ blue whale, we spotted a ‘strange’ looking, almost leucistic gull. With images circulated to bird groups, it transpired that it was an Icelandic gull – a rarer visitor to these waters, normally seen in very low numbers over winter.

The day ended with an encounter with Risso’s dolphins not to far from home. The calmer waters meant a relaxed observation of four mums with calves. From the photos taken we could work out that one of the mums has been documented since 2006, so is likely to be over 20 years old. Well worth getting out on the boat.

Additionally, one of the blue whales recorded at the start of week was first recoded in 2001, and this is the sixth year it has been documented, but never previously so early in the year. We await news on some of our other sightings.

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Azores : Perseverance rewarded

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

Having welcomed group 2 to the expedition, we quickly embarked on the project orientations, equipment briefings and scientific survey training. Fortunately, this all went to plan, so we could make the best of the available weather window, to get out on our survey vessel – Physeter.

This meant a longer than anticipated trip on Sunday, which resulted in some well-earned records. One of our team has been on the Azores expedition on two previous occasions, but had yet to see a ‘true whale’, despite being party to an orca sighting in 2019 (the largest member of the dolphin family). This record was soon broken with a fin whale sighting and followed up with more blue whale records. If at first you don’t succeed……..it is worth trying again and again. Congratulations Neil, a great way to ‘chalk up’ your first whales!

Our second day at sea also started with the now obligatory blue whale sighting. Yes, these magnificent beasts have now been spotted every day we have been at sea in 2025 – that may also be a record for the expedition. This was followed by a rather frustrating group of sperm whales, who seemed more interested in socialising with each other and not feeding. This means no diving and that means no fluke pictures with which we can identify individuals. Some common dolphins provided some intermittent entertainment, whilst we waited, and waited and waited. Of some 25-30 whales in an area south of Pico, we returned to port (after a wet and bumpy journey) with fluke pictures from only two. Kudos to Pedro (our skipper) for getting us back to port.

The Atlantic weather systems decided the next day would be on land. This not only gave us a chance to process some of the data from the previous days at sea, but also learn how the data can be used by others. Maria Ines (a Masters student from the University of the Azores) gave an excellent presentation of spatio-temporal dynamics of common dolphins and Atlantic spotted dolphins in the Azores, based largely on POPA (Programa de Observação para as Pescas do Açores = Observation Programme for the Fisheries of the Azores) data, which is also a key element of the expedition data collection. Understanding the importance of the Azores archipelago for these species is contingent on the availability of long-term data sets.

We look forward to more sightings and more data in the coming days.

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Azores : More

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

It has been a great effort by group 1, even if our last sea day was cut short by the increasing winds. Undeterred by the limited weather window we still managed another two blue whale encounters. That means blue whales have been located on every single day we have been at sea – staggering! The shorter day meant an opportunity for more data sorting and presentations from the local university, to give perspective on the power of our data.

Such data collection requires effort, and over the past few days we’ve spent over 33 hours at sea, covered almost 500 km of surveys, resulting in just over of 50 cetacean encounters across 11 different species. We should also not forget our first loggerhead turtle for 2025, and multiple bird species that were also recorded. Not a bad data haul for this time of year.

Safe to say, we already have a number of highlights. From rare species encounters to extremes of sea state, but surfing orcas will persist in the memories of many in the group. The dockside painting for 2025 has also been started, based on imagery from our own sightings. On the flip side, the realisation that our catering had been cancelled one night, an hour before dinner might give me a few more sleepless nights, but there is always plan B, C or D!

It’s been great to kick off the 2025 expedition with such a fantastic group who have shown textbook teamwork with endless effort and humour – you have been a joy to work and spend time with, thank you. But as we say farewell to group 1, we are now excited to meet and welcome group 2. Safe travels to you.

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Azores : Sightings galore

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

Our survey sightings have continued where we left off, and almost unbelievably the bar has been pushed even higher. Encounters with blue whales and fin whales have continued – Tim (and others) has been blown away by the fact that we are seeing the largest creature ever to exist, on a daily basis!

We have also managed to add a humpback whale encounter to the data set, but better was still to come. Returning to Horta on one of our survey days over the weekend, we had a ‘random’ encounter with a couple of Sowerby’s beaked whales. To paraphrase Lisa, you can count on one hand how many times beaked whales have been recorded on the past 18 expeditions.

However, there was even more to come, and Pedro, our ever-alert skipper, also spotted a minke whale. They are fast, relatively small, with low blows; so hard to find, and rank amongst the least recorded species in the Azores – a great sighting and fantastic data.

With the weather still on our side, our species list was to increase further still, with a group of non-cooperative sperm whales – i.e. they were socialising and not diving, so very limited fluke pictures for ‘matching’ purposes. More work to be done here. Whilst blue whale encounters seem to continue like clockwork, punctuated by more common dolphins and a fin whale. Monday saw the addition of Risso’s dolphins, following yet another random encounter to the south of Pico.

Recording cetaceans on most days at sea is what we hope for, but the realisation of new records and rare encounters is beyond all our expectations. Over the past ten years, I can’t remember a start to an expedition like this one. May the good weather and our good luck continue.

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‘I’ve always had it in me – but when are you going to get the chance, sitting in the office?’

In his fifties, Neil Goodall felt the familiar urge to get away from it all and out into nature. Yet when he took the leap into expeditions, Neil discovered more than a new world – he found a new path, and a new lease of life.

Neil on expedition in 2018

Neil Goodall never expected to find himself in an acacia bush.

‘We were tracking leopards in Namibia, and had to set traps,’ Neil explains. ‘So I volunteered to crawl into the bush, and put the smelly carcass in the trap – and I thought, I’m an accountant!’

Setting a trap for leopards in Namibia


Since his first expedition in Namibia, Neil never looked back. Thailand, Malawi, Tien Shan: Neil traversed swamps, crossed deserts, and returned with a different perspective on life. ‘The contrast between this and working at my desk all day was just amazing. My colleagues couldn’t believe it. Gradually I became known as the Scat Hunter!’

Yet he wasn’t always an adventurer. Like many people, Neil found himself isolated from the natural world.

‘I always liked nature but never found the time for it,’ he says. ‘I was in my early 50s. Busy life. Two kids, family, and a very busy job – as a finance director for a public organisation.’

To get closer to wildlife, Neil followed what seemed to be the only option – safari, spending five days in the Serengeti.

‘Afterwards, I thought, I loved that, but a couple of things nagged me: you’re a tourist, you’re stuck in a vehicle, you can’t interact, and when you do see wildlife, they’re surrounded by tourist vehicles…it all felt a bit contrived.’

Signing up to be a citizen scientist with Biosphere Expeditions gave Neil the immersion in the natural world that he couldn’t reach in his everyday life – and then some.

‘It was everything that I’d hoped for: structured, but with a sense of liberation. We could go out into the wild, and as long as we did our tasks, we were free to do as we pleased. Wildebeest, giraffe, springbok – all close enough to smell them.’

Yet there was a crucial distinction. Neil wasn’t just close to the wildlife; his participation in the expedition enabled him to contribute to their conservation, shoulder to shoulder with dedicated scientists out in remote wilderness. On his first expedition, in Namibia, part of the project’s purpose was to change the narrative.

‘The farmers blamed the leopards for killing their livestock. Our work was helping to protect the cats. Collecting data, but properly in the wild – it’s such a purposeful interaction with wildlife.’

Part of what makes the expeditions so meaningful is because they’re not a holiday – they’re challenging, as Neil attests.

Neil (right) entering data with a fellow expeditioner in Malawi


‘It’s hard work,’ he agrees. ‘You’re up early, active from the off, but when you look back at the end of the day, shattered, you think – but what have I done? All day in nature, encounters with wildlife, collecting data with a team of people who were strangers a few days before. It’s hard, but it’s also one of the best things to experience because it connects with a lot of deep drivers that are rare to find in everyday life. But Biosphere Expeditions gives you confidence: you’re well briefed, well fed, and you know what you’re doing: solid foundations to go out of your comfort zone!’

And, like many expeditioners, Neil found himself not just out of his comfort zone, but far beyond it. His experiences across the world have been so out of the ordinary that they’ve changed how people see Neil as a person.

‘On my third expedition, I went to Peru – the first person in my family ever to go to South America. I found myself taking the boat from Iquitos down the Amazon, and I remember pinching myself – literally pinching myself – going, I’m on the Amazon. How!?’ Neil says, laughing. ‘People at work see me as the accountant. But it changes people’s perspective of you. They react ‘Wow, you did What!?’’

Neil (middle) with fellow expeditioners in Amazonia

Judging by his stories, this amazement is justified.

‘One night, in a remote region of Malawi,’ Neil begins, eyes lighting up in recollection, ‘We were observing a goat carcass to see if it attracted predators in the dark. We set a camera trap 10 miles from camp, but on the way back, we got stuck in the rutted road. Imagine: three of us, in the pitch black dark, somewhere in the middle of Malawi…and we had no choice but to get out of the car and push it out of the ruts. And you feel the danger,’ Neil admits. “We could radio for help, we knew we were safe, but it’s so far beyond everyday life. You come back and think: Wow!’

Ultimately, though, Neil’s experiences on expedition have given him more than just memories. They’ve given him new skills, opened new opportunities, and have made him an active protester for change. Inspired to put his new skills to use, he attend his first protest march – Restore Nature Now – in London in the summer, alongside 60,000 other nature lovers. Neil says, “I thank Biosphere Expeditions for giving me the confidence and the compulsion to protest for what I believe is a just cause, something I had not done before in my 68 years. And I will do the same again if the march is repeated.”

‘It changed my idea of what’s possible,’ Neil reflects. ‘I’ve always had it latent within me – but when are you going to get the chance, sitting in the office?’

Sixteen expeditions later, Neil the office accountant, has been transformed – and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. So who has Neil’s new sense of purpose influenced most? Neil bursts out laughing.

‘My sons – who see me as a boring old dad – they can’t believe what I’ve done!’

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‘You’re right on the frontlines of conservation – and you see life differently.’

As biologists, Gary and Sandra Hogben have always been fascinated by the natural world. But when seeking a way to get stuck into some fieldwork, they began going on expeditions together. From tiptoeing past sleeping elephants to learning how to use the village water pump, it’s been an even richer journey than they’d imagined.

Sandra (left) and Gary Hogben (right) on their elephant expedition to Thailand in 2023.

Gary and Sandra never imagined they’d end up stranded on a dirt road in Malawi, miles from anywhere, bus broken down, no immediate way of moving. But that’s exactly where they found themselves. Rather than the struggle, however, they remember the laughter and camaraderie that came from taking responsibility for their own fate. ‘You’re really pushing yourself,’ Sandra says. ‘You learn your limits.’

Their story starts back in 2013, when the couple undertook their first expedition to Namibia. It proved a turning point in how they saw themselves—and their holidays. Both are biologists by training, but as Sandra notes, ‘It’s microbiology, not macro, so we wanted a broader perspective. Something that let us get back to what we used to do: proper fieldwork.’ A classic game drive wasn’t enough; they wanted hands-on involvement, real interaction with wildlife, and a sense they were contributing to something bigger.

So they signed up for a Biosphere Expeditions project in Namibia, discovering that expedition life is intense in ways they never anticipated. ‘I felt anxious about what I’d signed up for,’ Gary admits, recalling the dossier’s instructions on braving remote desert roads and uncertain conditions. But from the start, that same uncertainty became an addictive challenge. ‘I love to travel, but because of the climate crisis, I felt guilty,’ he says. ‘This wasn’t just a holiday though — it had a purpose, a way to give something back.’

Over time, they ventured further: Malawi, Arabia, Costa Rica, Thailand — each place tested them physically and emotionally. They’ve dodged tsetse flies, tiptoed past elephants at night, and faced torrential storms checking on hatcheries every fifteen minutes. Yet for all the trials & tribulations, both speak with a sense of wonder. ‘You come back feeling that you’ve overcome a challenge,’ Sandra says. ‘And very glad to have done so.’

Gary & Sandra (from right) and their 2018 Costa Rica sea turtle expedition team.
Sandra digging an incubation nest for leatherback turtle hatchlings
Gary constructing a protective basked for leatherback turtle hatchlings
Gary & Sandra on their 2018 Costa Rica experience

Meeting local communities helped them see their own routines in a new light. In Malawi, they learned to pump water from a village source, twenty liters at a time, or no shower. Back home, they realised their perspective had changed. ‘You see it a bit differently,’ Sandra reflects. ‘It shows you what’s possible.’ Gary now chairs a clean-water advisory group, inspired by the stark realities he encountered. ‘You’re right on the frontlines of conservation,’ he explains, ‘seeing the difference you’re making.’

Gary on his 2019 Malawi experience

Perhaps the biggest surprise has been the friendships they’ve forged. ‘We’ve stayed in touch with people from our first expedition,’ Sandra says. ‘Helen from Australia visited us in the UK, and Georg from Germany — like-minded folks who keep coming back for more.’

‘If someone asks whether they should do it, I always say: ‘Go for it. You won’t regret it,’’ Gary says. ‘I used to think being stuck between hippos and elephants was something you’d watch on TV. Now it’s part of our reality.’ And for both Gary and Sandra, that reality is far more compelling — and life-changing — than any other kind of holiday could ever be.