Gotta love it when a plan comes together! With a cranking onshore predicted mid week, we were thrilled to get our small tour group out for an Encountour at sunrise before the wind set in.
It was the proverbial humpback whale highway out there with blows been seen all along the horizon. Heading offshore we were (those of us that caught it) wowed by a single humpback whale that breached close to the boat. Interestingly enough this seemed to be a warning and as we slowed, stopped, observed and listened we found ourselves in the company of four great leviathans who circled once, before returning on their southern journey. Check out the video below of the Whales AND Dolphins!
Once back in the bay the wind was already up as we started to trek our way north. It was not long before we picked up two bottlenose dolphins heading south. Although they were keen for some bow-riding; in-water it was a miss as they seemed hellbent on reaching a destination, he, he…
Curiosity and I suppose a little bit of intuition found us following the two fast travellers and voila, there was a large pod just off backline. With the on-shore winds picking up and a rather strange angled swell, we were thankful that without too much wait a small pod broke off and headed towards us.
Our brave dolphin seekers, some of whom have never swam in the open ocean before slipped in and found themselves in the company of some very sociable souls who were content on swimming between and around our observers before heading off and leaving Beijo and Switch; two young females who were babysitting the kids and teaching them the art of circle swimming!
The one little one had an infestation of Xenobalanus Globicipitis aka the Stalked Barnacles; with one of the guests saying they looked like beautifully placed jewels; these interesting little critters are a parasitic organism and only attaches to the host for transportation purposes. In Ponta do Ouro, we have had many observations of dolphins who have this particular barnacle. You can check out a recent poster put together by students from the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Portsmouth where they looked at the occurrence of this specific species on the local #dolphinsofponta.
Images: Xenobalanus Globicipitis aka the Stalked Barnacles; Bottom L: Calves of the year coming for a circle swim Bottom R: Eye to eye with Switch and Beijo..
Thank you to our guests and Meet Extreme Adventures for your support. We look forward to making more dolphin dreams come true with your guests in future!
Today is also the last launch for Bulgarian volunteer Violeta who has spent the past two weeks with us. It was great to spend time with her and give her the first Bulgarian volunteer title. Bon Voyage dear Violeta, thank you for joining us and assisting with the various projects undertaken in the Reserve.
Did you know you can adopt a Dolphin of Ponta through the Society for Dolphin Conservation - Germany www.delphinschutz.org. By adopting a family line you directly assist in research and conservation of the local dolphins!
