The Azores – Sunday 25th June 2023

Both trips today are with Norberto Diving, although the afternoon trip is actually chartered from Pedro who has a group of 30 booked in.

The Humpback from yesterday is still in the area, so we set off in that direction, passing a flying fish on the way. As well as the Humpback we also find Sperm Whale, and more Common Dolphin. Another flying fish on the way back to the harbour, in both cases we pass them while travelling quite fast ourselves, so no chance for a photo.

This afternoon’s trip is supposed to start at 2:30, but none of the clients have arrived. Pedro calls them and they say they have been delayed and ask if they put back the departure until 3:30. A Compromise of 3:00 is agreed.
The thirty people are divided between Pedro’s boat and ours, and as we prepare to board, Lisa warns me that it will probably just be dolphins. We set off in the same general direction as this morning and encounter a large group of Common Dolphin with several young. After we have been with them a while, we move on in search of Bottlenose Dolphins. We manage to pick them up, but soon lose interest when a group of False Killer Whales appears. These may be a resident population, but they are not seen often enough to be certain (although Lisa does recognise a couple of individuals from their distinctive dorsal fins).

Pedro receives a call from one of the spotters that there may be a sperm whale not too far away, and as he has a hydrophone on his boat, we head off in search of it, and are rewarded with a nice tail fluke as it dives.
Time is running short, so just time for one more quick stop with the Common Dolphin before returning to Horta.