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NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
2006 Newsletter
Old Friends and New
Our 2006 sightings were as memorable as ever with a total of 646
sperm whale encounters between mid April and early October. We saw a number
of new animals not previously identified and also added another year to the
list of yearly sightings of whale number 1236. This sperm whale has now been
seen in 9 years since 1989. Whale number 19 was also seen and our first encounter
with her was in 1987! We think they really like the Azores!!!
Baleen Whale Magic
The baleen whales gave an excellent show in April, May and June with the sight
of a group of lunge feeding sei whales the spectacular highlight. The whales
were feeding on big plumes of red krill (the local fishermen saw this as well,
in the stomachs of Tuna they were catching around this time) and several came
very close to the boat so from our vantage points onboard, high above the
water, you could see whole 45 ft long whales swimming on their sides as they
gulped down big mouthfuls of krill and water. I expected to have Sir David
Attenborough tapping me on the shoulder to explain what was happening, it
was so amazing!!!.
Dancing Dolphins
Some spectacular dolphin encounters happened during summer 2006 but a day
in July stands out when we had a very large group of 400+ common dolphin spending
a long period of time with us. They were very energetic and were bow riding,
feeding, travelling and mating during the time they stayed with the boat.
There was some fantastic leaping from a group of bottlenose dolphin as well,
something completely natural to them, when they are in the mood. So who needs
to go to a sea park with entertainment like this.
Student Programme
Between May and September we sponsored 6 students from the University of Dalhousie,
Halifax in Canada and Swansea Institute, to come and work with us on a new
project we are initiating. In summer of 2007 we open the Azores Ecocentre,
an educational resource aimed at the public that will show ways we can help
the environment. The centre will be based in the hotel we use for our tours
and will have lots of exhibits showing practical ways people can reduce their
impact on the environment. There will be displays in several languages and
interactive exhibits, as well as a giveaway booklet for people to take, which
will be a permanent reminder of the ideas we will be promoting. Our students
in 2006 helped to start preparing for the centre and also put on a small 9
day exhibition in the local school, during the biggest festival in the Azores
calendar, Semana do Mar (or the Week of the Sea). During this early August
festival we showed pictures of the cetaceans of the Azores and our research,
displays on renewable energy, low impact transportation, organic gardening
and energy efficiency, as well as displaying and distributing the booklet
we shall be giving away next summer. All funding was paid for by profits from
Whale Watch Azores tours.
The Azores Ecolodge
In 2006 we took over the running of the guesthouse we have been using for
the last 2 years and have some big plans for the place. We have changed the
name to the Azores Ecolodge and aim to operate the building as an environmentally
friendly place for you to spend your holidays in. We have fitted a 1.4 KW
solar photovoltaic system which produces a good percentage of the electricity
we use and solar panels that will also produce a large amount of our hot water.
We will import eco friendly products to clean with and hope to also offer
these for sale locally as well. The Ecolodge will provide space rent free
to the Ecocentre (mentioned above) and will buy locally produced food wherever
possible. Our motivation is to help look after the planet for us and the whales
and dolphins so we hope these ideas work well.
2005 Newsletter
Sightings in 2005
At the beginning of 2005 we thought that 2004 would be unbeatable for encounters,
as we went from a record of around 350 sperm whale encounters, to 602 in that
year! But 2005 has yet again been another record year with 675 sperm whale
encounters and 411 non sperm whale encounters (other whales and dolphins).
We think these 2 exceptional years are down to using our amazing catamaran
“Physeter” and the co operation of the whale lookout network around
Faial and Pico. As the only company that spends all day at sea (instead of
3 hour trips) however, we are on the water for longer than other boats and
more importantly, we waste less time travelling to where the animals are.
Of course, the fact that we have the most experienced cetacean biologist in
the Azores on board at all times, helps a bit!
Changes to our Brochure
We care about the environment, so in 2005 we planted 13 trees on Sao Jorge
to help replace some of the trees used to produce our brochure and we shall
be planting more in 2006. We also feel that throwing old brochures out is
such a waste, so for 2006 we shall be re-using the 2005 brochures we have
left over, but have included some amendments here. Our 9 night tour price
now excludes 2 evening meals, as past guests have commented that it would
occasionally be nice to explore Horta’s restaurants, on their own. We
shall be writing a restaurant guide to help you choose from Horta’s
culinary delights, on your 2 free nights! Five night tours will have 1 evening
meal excluded from the tour price. Similarly, several people have commented
that lunches on shore days are nicer when taken in a local café, during
a tour round one of the islands. As shore activities are not included in the
tour price, we have decided to exclude lunches on shore days (2 lunches on
9 night tours, 1 lunch on 5 night tours) from the tour price. All other meals
are still included. You should allow £6-10 pp for evening meals and
half this for lunches. We have decided to concentrate more on our photo identification
research and so we will not be collecting any more sperm whale skin samples,
except in exceptional circumstances. We also hope to extend our acoustic recordings
of sperm whale social noises, for Portuguese researcher Ricardo Atunes, who
is studying for a Ph.D at St. Andrews University, comparing these social noises
between groups of whales.
New Publications
In 2006 our biologist Lisa Steiner will publish her latest scientific paper,
describing the first ever encounters in the Azores, with Brydes whales. These
took place in 2004 but it has taken some time to compile the sightings from
some other whale watch companies and the local university. We were the first
to identify this rare tropical species in the Azores however, so Lisa has
written about this event and the paper will hopefully be published in the
scientific journal Aquatic Mammals.
CO2 Emissions
2005 was the second year we have work with the organisation Climate Care.
Your flights create CO2 in the atmosphere when you visit us but for each of
you that travels with us, we give climate care a payment that they then use
to fund projects that actually reduce CO2 emissions, thus helping the planet.
Many companies offer this to their clients as an option but we have chosen
to make the payments on your behalf, for all guests who travel with us. See
the Climate Care website (www.climacare.org) for more information on the great
projects they fund, to offset CO2 emissions.
Student Placement
We were pleased to welcome Kayleigh Felice as our research assistant/crew
in 2005 and she did a great job during her 3 months with us. Kayleigh is studying
marine biology at the University of Dalhousie in Canada and learnt a lot about
crewing a boat, cetacean data collection and even a few words of Portuguese.
Kayleigh also specialised in collecting data on the Risso’s dolphin
we encountered and produced an excellent report on her time with us, which
will go towards her final degree grades.
Vessel Improvements
Our vessel Physeter is being upgraded this winter with a new directional hydrophone
which will allow us to find the whales more efficiently and extra sound proofing,
to make the aft deck quieter, during our time at sea. Additional instrumentation
on the bridge deck will make her easier to operate and a change in seating
will make her more comfortable and practical.
Awards shortlist
In 2005 Whale Watch Azores was short listed for the Marine Environment Award,
in the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards. These awards are sponsored
by First Choice, in conjunction with The Times and Geographical Magazine and
recognize companies and organisations in the travel industry that are making
a significant commitment to 'responsible' tourism. The award ceremony is to
be held at the World Travel Market in November.
2004 Spring Newsletter
2003 was absolutely our best year for the big baleen whales. Sei whales (the 3rd biggest) were seen in every month we operated. We saw 28 fin whales over most months of the summer and in the early part of the season 6 blue whales were spotted. This is a significant increase on previous years and is probably due the use of our new catamaran “Physeter” (which is well suited to working with baleen whales) and also a slightly cooler sea water temperature, which led to a large amount of krill being present in the water during the season. 2003 also saw our second highest number of sperm whale sightings ever so lets hope that all of these magnificent animals spend an extended holiday in the Azores again in 2004.
In 2004 Whale Watch Azores is teaming up with the Swansea Institute of Higher Education, to offer 5 students from the Institute a 3 month work placement, to help them gain experience in the fields of tourism and environmental conservation. The students will travel on an EU funded student placement programme and will have an exciting number of projects to try. They will learn about crewing a boat, the cetacean research we carry out and they also will learn how to work with guests whilst running a holiday business. They will also be working with a local environmental organisation, specifically taking photographs from around the island of Sao Jorge and creating a CD ROM of these images, for use as a teaching resource in local schools. The students will also be working on a land survey and clearance project, in preparation for the construction of an environmental education and research centre, currently being planned by Whale Watch Azores. The students will rotate their duties between each of the different parts of the project so you may well meet one of them during summer.
The new Whale Watch Azores Catamaran “Physeter” had its first outing in summer 2003 and exceeded all expectations. Purchased in March 2003 in Ireland, she had a 6 week refit in Portishead before her successful voyage out to the Azores, via Falmouth, Vigo, Oporto and Lisbon. The longest leg of the voyage was nearly 4 days at sea, between Lisbon and Ponta Delgada (the Azores capital) and she carried a total of 20 extra fuel drums for the trip! We really got to know “Physeter” well during the summer and discovered that she is an amazing boat for whale watching. The addition of a second foredeck means that wherever you are on board you get a great view of what’s happening. We even had a scream from someone watching leaping dolphins through the window of the loo! The other major thing we discovered is that the hulls and propellers are effectively silent when cruising at 3-5 knots. This means of course that we disturb the animals as little as possible and even less than our old sailing boat! “Physeter” has been on land over winter 2003/4 and has had a new steering position and seating fitted to the top deck, for better control, visibility and comfort.
If you are in the Azores this summer then why not head over to Sao Jorge and visit the Velas tourist office where we have an exhibition of information and pictures on the research being carried out on whales and dolphins in the Azores. The tourist office and exhibition are open from 9-1230 and 1400-1730 (Monday to Friday) and the exhibition runs from June 15th to September 30th. You can learn more about the identification of species and individual animals, photo identification, DNA analysis and there is also information on the strandings network of the Azores and various conservation projects going on around the islands. There are regular ferries to Sao Jorge from Horta and Pico so you can visit for the day if you wish. We would like to thank WDCS for helping fund this exhibition and the Regional Director of Tourism for allowing us to use space in the Velas tourist office.
From 2004 Whale Watch Azores is proud to be working with Climate Care, a
UK based environmental organisation that works to offset the CO2 emissions
of your holiday flights. Climate Care invests money in energy efficiency programmes
and renewable energy technologies, as well as reforestation programmes. Climate
Care have calculated the amount of carbon emissions from your flights to the
Azores and we automatically donate a small portion of your tour money to offset
these emissions, making your flights climate neutral.
Spring 2002 Newsletter
After several years of talking about a European-wide photo ID (identification) catalogue, this winter has finally seen the lift off of EUROPHLUKES. This EC funded project is bringing together researchers from all parts of Europe, to compile the largest whale and dolphin photo database in the world. Whale Watch Azores is a founder member of EUROPHLUKES and Lisa has been involved right from the start. In fact the whole project has grown from the NAMSC catalogue (North Atlantic & Mediterranean Sperm Whale Catalogue), a collection of sperm whale photographs and contributors that Lisa has been editing for many years. The third edition of NAMSC is due to be published in time for the European Cetacean Society meeting in Liege in Belgium in April 2002.
Whale Watch Azores has the largest sperm whale catalogue in Europe and over
1500 animals have now been identified. Europhlukes takes the NAMSC concept
a couple of steps further. The project is not just a collection of photographs
and contact details but is centred around a species specific, automated computer
matching programme and most of the species which are photo-identified for
scientific research are to be included in the database. There are lots of
species covered including sperm whales, bottlenose dolphin, pilot whales (long
& short fin), Risso’s dolphin, baleen whales, beaked whales, and
even common and striped dolphin (for those areas with smaller populations
than the Azores!).
Scientists from the UK, France, Spain (including the Canaries), Portugal (including
the Azores & Madeira), Greece, Italy, Greenland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway,
Holland and Germany are participating. There is also a possibility of including
the Eastern European states too. In fact, when the project is up and running
anyone who has photos of cetaceans around Europe and even extending to the
North Atlantic, will be allowed to submit their photos to EUROPHLUKES on the
web and see if their particular whale or dolphin has been seen elsewhere.
The matching program for the various species is being designed by a Dutch
computer programmer and a second Dutch programmer is working on how to get
the whole project to come together and run on the web. Most of the scientists
& biologists from the various states are concentrating on cataloguing
their ID photos for input into the finished project. The project has funding
for 3 years and at the end of it there should be a program capable of matching
various species on line and enabling scientists to contact each other to share
their findings.
So what benefits will be gained from EUROPHLUKES? Scientists working in different
areas will have a chance to see if animals recorded in their own areas migrate
elsewhere or remain resident. It could prove useful for studying the social
mix of whales and dolphins. For example how long do particular individuals
remain in contact with each other? EUROPHLUKES could also be an invaluable
source of information should any country wish to start whaling again, because
it could assist in offering proof that certain populations do or do not mix
together, giving better population estimates. If the information can be linked
to oceanographic parameters (which is planned) some idea of what makes particular
habitats preferable to certain species may be obtained.
The EUROPHLUKES organisers are not just thinking of today and tomorrow; they are trying to plan for 100 years down the line! Obviously technology will change radically over that period of time so it is important to get the founding principles correct or the whole project could be flawed. With the best cetacean people in Europe involved however, we stand a good chance. Once ready we will publish the EUROPHLUKES web site address so if you then go whale and dolphin watching in Europe (to start with - the world to follow!) find out what types of photos are used in photo identification of the various species you might see. Once the website is ready you can submit your photos and who knows, you could find the missing link!
In May 2001 Whale Watch Azores again helped the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society with fund raising by rowing across Cardigan Bay, in a purpose built 24ft row boat. The boat (Carpe Diem) was used for the 1997 Trans Atlantic rowing race from the Canaries to Barbados and is identical to the ones seen recently on the news, in this winters Trans Atlantic race.
Our route was changed for safety reasons from a full crossing of the Irish
Sea but still posed a challenge. We were at sea for a total of 26 hours with
no assistance and during this period we saw sea birds, 4 harbour porpoise
and several seals. The most exciting encounter was at dawn on the 2nd day
when a group of 20-30 Bottlenose dolphin appeared and accompanied us for around
35 minutes, swimming slowly just 10 metres away.
There are populations of Bottlenose and Risso’s dolphin, together with
the endangered harbour porpoise found throughout the bay and studies have
shown these populations may be in decline.
The trip raised a total of £1100 for the WDCS. Our thanks go to Ocean Safety Ltd. (02380 720800) of Southampton, who kindly donated the use of a liferaft for the event.
We set up Whale Watch Azores in 1993 to continue the research started by the
International Fund for Animal Welfare yacht "Song of the Whale"
and we feel we have been very successful.
To date we have achieved the following:
All of this has been funded by our past guests coming on board for a holiday
so thank you to them.
Winter 2000-1
In our last newsletter in summer 2000 we told you of our plans to set up a hydrophone network around the central group of the Azores. The network is designed to improve the efficiency of locating the sperm whale groups around the islands, so that the whale watching boats in the area can have a choice of different whale pods to watch. This then means there are fewer boats watching a particular group of animals, thus reducing the pressure on them. The system will use hydrophones (underwater microphones) suspended from buoys and anchored to the sea bed by cables.
The hydrophones will be solarpowered and will transmit the sound of the ocean and hopefully the cetaceans they are hearing, to radio receivers on land. In summer 2000 we had our first test run using an experimental hydrophone and a radio receiver loaned to us by “The Lighthouse” organisation in Scotland. In conjunction with another whale watch boat we were able to test the system to a distance of nearly 4 miles away from a group of whales, with no significant interference from the ocean background noise. This was a good result for the first try and we expect to increase the range of the equipment with modifications we have planned. We also showed the system to some of the other whale watch boat operators who thought it was a good idea and are looking forward to using the system.
As well as reducing the disturbance to the whales by spreading the boats out, we are hoping to encourage all whale watch operators to put their drivers through a training scheme, to allow them to fully appreciate the needs of the whales and dolphins. We feel this would allow their drivers to runs their boats in a more “whale friendly” manner, that would be good for the whales, the clients who watch them and hopefully will make the drivers feel good too. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society will be organising an independent team to offer the driver training and are funding the project.
For 2001 Whale Watch Azores will again be helping the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society with fund raising. At the end of November last year WDCS had their first internet celebrity auction, in conjunction with the Metro newspaper and eBay, one of the biggest auction sites on the web. We donated 2 spaces on one of our tours next year to give away as the main prize, for the Metro promotional campaign for the auction. Our second fund raiser takes place in April 2001 when we row across the Irish Sea in a purpose built 24ft row boat. The boat (Carpe Diem) was used for the 1997 Trans Atlantic rowing race from the Canaries to Barbados and is now being used by us to raise money for WDCS and bring attention to the plight of cetaceans in Cardigan Bay, West Wales.
There are populations of Bottlenose and Risso’s dolphin, together with the endangered harbour porpoise found throughout the bay and studies have shown some of these populations may be in decline. Reasons for this may include a declining food supply, entanglement in fishing gear and increased disturbance from speed boats and jetskis. Increased seismic activity, discharges from exploration rigs and the transportation of radioactive waste through the Irish Sea could all pose a serious threat to the long-term health of these waters. If you would like to sponsor our trip send us a cheque/PO for £4 or more and we will write your name on the side of the boat. For £15 or more we’ll put your name on the boat, on our website and send you an brilliant 5 x 7 inch bottlenose dolphin photo for your wall, together with a sponsors certificate (cheques payable to WDCS). Please contact us for further info if you would like information on corporate sponsorship for your company.
In summer 2000 Whale Watch Azores was chosen as one of only five organisations around the world to be included in the WDCS travel programme “Out of the Blue“. The programme is designed to encourage members of the public to go cetacean watching and by doing so, help fund local conservation and research work. For 2001 WDCS have increased their Whale Watch Azores tours offering to two tours departing on 18th July and 15th August. If you would like to join one of these tours you may contact us or WDCS direct.
Although we never get bored with watching the whales and dolphins there are times when things get very exciting and a day in August 2000 was one of those days. The weather was calm and fairly hot as we motored along about 10 miles North of Faial. We had just located some sperm whales on the hydrophone and were heading over in their direction when we saw what at first we thought to be a single dolphin, logging on the surface. Logging is a term used to describe an animal when it is just lying there and not noticeably swimming along. This was strange as we do not normally see dolphins doing this much, especially on their own.
Then we suddenly realised that it was not a dolphin but what we think was probably a Dwarf sperm whale! Dwarf sperm whales are the smallest of all whales reaching a size of just 2.7m (9ft) and are very rare animals. They can be confused with the pygmy sperm whale although we think this was a dwarf due to the size of its dorsal fin. We are contacting experts on these animals to try and get confirmation of identification and now wait to see. If this identification is confirmed it will be the 4th new species record for the Azores, discovered by our head of research Lisa Steiner. Lisa was a co author of the paper that reported the first sei whale sightings in the Azores. Lisa was also the first to identify rough toothed dolphin and True’s beaked whales in the Azores. This would bring the total Azores species list to 26 species.
“My final graduation project was a study about sperm whale codas, which are series of patterned clicks sperm whales use for communicating when they are socialising. My work involved analysing recordings of codas made in the Azores but I wasn’t involved in recording them. Although well prepared for my project something was still missing; I was doing research on the codas, but had never listened to them in the wild, or seen sperm whales socialising. When Chris and Lisa gave me a place on board Colomban I thought that it might me my chance to see the animals and their behaviour in the wild. It was a very good experience and gave me the confidence to be able to discuss my results. Chris and Lisa kindly shared their years of experience with me and this has improved my way of looking at whales and dolphins. I’ve worked on boats before, but spending all that time living on board gave me a kind of sea experience that I’m sure will be important in my future work as a marine biologist studying whales and dolphins.”
(Start times are 730 pm unless stated otherwise)
Thur 11th Jan Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Wymondham, Norfolk,
Wed 17th Jan RSPB, St. Matthews Church Hall, St. Matthews Close, Walsall
Wed 21st Feb Thornbury WI, Avon
Thur 22nd Feb Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Marden House, Opps. Library, Calne,
Wiltshire
Fri 23rd Feb Avon Wildlife Trust, United Reformed Church Hall, Woodhill Road,
Portishead
Wed 14th Mar Norfolk Wildlife Trust, St. Albans Hall, Grove Walk, Norwich
Tue 20th Mar Suffolk Wildlife Trust, St. Andrews Church Hall, St. Andrews
Road, Felixstowe
Tickets are not required for slide shows although some venues may make a small admission charge.
Spring 2000 Newsletter
We have an exciting new conservation project in the pipeline that will be starting this summer and will help our research as well. If you visit the South coast of Pico during your trip with us, you will probably notice a few whale watching boats other than us there. They work in this area firstly because it’s good for whale sightings but also because this is where their shore based look-outs (vigias) are based. This concentration of boats can create pressure on the whales because several boats may all try to watch one group of whales at the same time. We have therefore come up with an idea for spreading the boats out. As you know we find the whales with a hydrophone. We thought it would be great if we could place a series of these at different points around the coast of Faial, North Pico and maybe S. Jorge. The information gained from this network on the locations of all sperm whales around the islands (there are quite often several groups around in different areas) could then be shared with the other whale watching companies so that their boats spread out. Each company could then move its vigia to different coasts, safe in the knowledge the vigia would quickly be able to locate the whales and direct his boats. The whale watching experience for their clients would be better as there would be fewer boats competing and most important of all, the pressure would be reduced on the whales. We are working on this project in conjunction with WDCS (Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society) who are helping to fund the project. We thank them for their support. Not only will this project help take pressure off the whales but it will also help with the photo identification of the sperm whales as we hope more will be seen and photographed. Watch this space for more news!
"...PILOT WHALES ARE KNOWN FOR HUNTING IN HUGE PODS, SOMETIMES NUMBERING HUNDREDS...THEY PUT ON AN INCREDIBLE SHOW…" NATASCHA MIROSCH, TIME OUT MAGAZINE "...ALL EYES FOLLOW HER HAND AND THERE, RISING FROM THE FLAT GLASSY OCEAN IS AN ANGLED PLUME OF SPRAY...FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER CLOSE BY. WE HAD MADE CONTACT WITH OUR FIRST SPERM WHALES! TO SEE THEM IN THEIR ELEMENT AND TO REALISE THE VASTNESS OF THEIR WORLD WAS JUST AMAZING...CHRIS & LISA DELIVER A HIGH QUALITY, WELL ORGANISED AND INSTRUCTIVE TOUR " JOHN HAYES, YACHTS & YACHTING MAGAZINE "...NOTHING PREPARED US FOR WHAT WE SAW THAT AFTERNOON. A PRIMEVAL THRILL SHOOTS THROUGH YOU WHEN YOU SPOT THE FIRST SPOUT….IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY PEOPLE GET ADDICTED." FIACHRA GIBBONS, THE GUARDIAN
Over the years we have sponsored many students to come on board Colomban to gain cetacean research experience in the Azores. In the summer of 2000 we will be welcoming Ricardo Atunes, a Portuguese student from Lisbon who will be assisting with data collection on board. Ricardo is the second Portuguese student to join us and as assisting Lisa he will also be collecting data for his third year degree project, studying sperm whale acoustics.
Since 1995 one of our main research projects each summer has involved the collection of sperm whale skin samples. Unlike many researchers around the world we do not like the idea of darting whales as this may disturb them so we collect only naturally shed pieces of skin from the whales. We do this by jumping overboard carrying small nets, once the whale we have been watching has dived and gone. Generally we have been successful in collecting a piece of skin on 2-3 out of five attempts. Tangible results have now been achieved with the publication of a Ph.D. thesis by Jo Bond formerly of Cambridge University Genetics department. Jo was studying the differences in the DNA of sperm whales in many parts of the world but her main samples were collected by guests and crew on board the Colomban, during our cruises in the Azores. Jo found some interesting results from her survey, the main one being that it is possible that sperm whales swim all over the world, as opposed to the long held theory that they do not travel between oceans or across the equator. Jo (now Dr. Jo Bond) has now moved onto full time research and we would like to congratulate her on attaining her Ph.D. "...a truly wonderful holiday...an incredibly uplifting and rewarding experience…" Mr. & Mrs. R. Parfitt "...Thank you for making it so much fun and educational...Even the saints couldn’t have done better." Lynda Green
Winter 1999\2000 Newsletter
Another excellent summer season has just finished in the Azores with some fantastic cetacean sightings and although the weather this year was not as settled as last year, possibly due to warmer than average sea temperatures, we still saw a lot. The best news being that sperm whale sightings were up by a massive 50% on 1998, to almost 300 encounters! Over this winter we will try to match the photo identification pictures taken, to others seen before and we may well crack the 1200 mark for number of individuals identified in the Azores. This is still the largest sperm whale catalogue in the North Atlantic and we are already confident of finding matches from this years photos, with sperm whale photos taken in previous years. Sperm whales, bottlenose dolphin and common dolphin were seen on every tour this summer and spotted dolphin, which appeared very early this year, were only missing from one tour. We saw some amazing things this summer including two encounters with a feeding fin whale lunging at fish, close to the boat. This fin whale was the first we have seen on Whale Watch Azores tours and brings the total number of species seen on Whale Watch Azores tours to 20. We had brilliant views of a young minke whale that spent 40 minutes swimming around the boat and literally wouldn’t leave us alone, even when we tried to move away from it! A group of Cuvier’s beaked whales also came right over to the boat to take a look at us and one of them did a fabulous breach right in front of us.
Species (% number of tours it was seen on, during the summer) Sperm whale (100%), False killer whale (23%), Bottlenose dolphin (100%), Sei whale (15%), Common dolphin (100%), Cuvier’s beaked whales (15%), Spotted dolphin (92%), Pilot whale (15%), Risso’s' dolphin (46%), Fin whale (8%), Striped dolphin (39%), Minke whale (8%), Beaked whales (spec. unknown 31%). The average number of species seen on tours in 1998 and 1999 was 6.3 species per tour.
1999 was a great year for the loggerhead turtle research we are assisting with. We trebled the number of animals caught from 8 in 1998 to nearly 30 this year. For the second year in a row we also assisted Brian Riewald of the Archie Carr Institute with his satellite-tagging programme. Brian successfully managed to attach 4 satellite tags to animals as part of his Ph.D. research. Turtle populations are under immense pressure due to accidental entanglement in nets and longlines, from chemicals and plastics dumped in the sea and many other things, so Brian is studying ways of helping them. The increased number of taggings was well received and we hope to equal or exceed the number next year.
We told you last year about how the Azorean government was introducing new regulations to control the Azorean whale and dolphin watching industry. We have been asking the Azorean government to do this for several years and fully endorse this approach as the best way to safeguard cetaceans in the area, protect their environment and ensure that people who go whale watching get a top quality experience, which does not disturb the cetaceans. The first part of these regulations was implemented in March 1999 and having observed the boats operating whale watching over the last few months, we have noticed a significant improvement in the way that boats are operated. As with all regulation there has to be a transition period where operators learn better ways of interacting with the animals and a few boat drivers are still making mistakes but we feel everyone is now trying to make their tours better.
In 1998 we launched Archipelago Azores Ltd., our sister company specialising in a wide range of land based holidays in the Azores. Archipelago Azores offers special interest holidays, which include cycling, diving, golf, guided walking tours, fly drives, honeymoons, manor house and rural tourism tours, for groups and individuals. We are pleased to let you know that the Archipelago Azores web site is now up and running with further information on these tours. The site address is www.azores.freeserve.co.uk. Alternatively you can request a full brochure direct from us. Archipelago Azores is the only UK company specialising solely in the Azores.
Our yacht Colomban is due for a facelift over this winter and as well as a large painting and varnishing programme we also have some useful improvements to add to her specifications. Over the winter we aim to fit roller reefing to her jib, making it much easier to use her sails, thereby saving fuel and reducing pollution. We plan to put a 240V power supply into her guest cabins and fit mosquito netting to all the cabins. In addition to all of this the washrooms are to be refitted and her rigging is being replaced so come May 2000 she will be even more comfortable and practical for our needs.
Spring 1999 Newsletter
For several years now we have been asking the Government in the Azores to introduce legislation to protect the whales and dolphins of the area from harassment. The reason for this was because we had seen or knew of cetaceans being harassed, mainly by over eager professional photographers, trying to get images of cetaceans, in order to make a name for themselves. A small number of unscrupulous whale watching companies were also taking their clients too close to the animals and causing disturbance. This was very worrying as we had heard of problems caused by the huge whale watching industry in the Canaries and the effects the poor boat conduct has had on the cetaceans there. So it was a happy day for us at the end of January when we learned that the Autonomous Regional Government of the Azores finally passed laws restricting the access boats and people have to the cetaceans in the waters around the islands. From now on boats going to see whales and dolphins will be strictly controlled in the way the operate when close to the animals. The number of boats allowed to operate in the area is to be controlled. Most importantly, swimming with whales (not dolphins) has been banned except in exceptional circumstances. These regulations have been brought about after several meetings held between interested parties including the whale and dolphin watching boat operators, the University of the Azores, The Port Captains Authority, NGO’s such as The Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society, IFAW, Greenpeace, several. Portuguese NGO’s and several departments of the Government including Tourism, Environment, Economics & Fisheries. The next year will be a testing time as the regulations will be put to the test. We hope that for the sake of the cetacean's and those watching them, that they are a success.
We think that the WDCS (Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society) based in Bath do a pretty good job when it comes to standing up for the rights of cetaceans, so in February of this year Whale Watch Azores gave them a helping hand. With assistance from a pair 12 ft inflatable whales lent to us by WDCS we held a raffle at the Earl’s Court and Birmingham NEC travel shows, with 4 superb photos taken on board last summer, as prizes. We also distributed several hundred leaflets on the WDCS adopt a dolphin scheme while doing the raffle, which generated a lot of interest. We raised a grand total of almost £300 for WDCS and the photos were won by Elaine Foster of Reigate. A big thank you to Julie-Anne & James Hurwood, past guests, for all their help manning the stand in London.
If you’re already fed up with the millennium and "dome" know what you’re going to do to mark the turn of the century, consider a quiet and peaceful time in the Azores. For Christmas & New Year 1999-2000, Whale Watch Azores is offering a special "Escape the Millennium" cruise. All accommodation and food are on board our yacht "Colomban" as normal and we will have several days whale watching, weather permitting. This time of year should be very interesting for cetaceans as it is quite possible that baleen whales are migrating past the islands. From looking at the whaling records we know Sperm whales are likely to be present, together with bottlenose, common and Risso’s dolphin as well. As always the tour price is inclusive of full board but we will also be offering a sumptuous special menu for Christmas and New Year meals (call for details). Also included in the tour price will be a guided tour of Faial, 3 evening meals in local restaurants and car hire for a day on Pico. We will be taking you on several guided walks to try and lose some of the extra pounds you will have gained from the food and we may well do a bit of sailing too, so you can thrill at the chance to sail a tall ship. The best part of all will be that you can escape from the fuss and commotion of the millennium celebrations. The Azores are a pretty peaceful place so you will not be bombarded with the media hype that will be happening back in the UK. And we can confidently say that there are absolutely no computer chips required to keep us afloat! We’ve also chosen dates that avoid Jan 1st, so no flying is involved, on or close to that date. This special tour will be running from 22nd December 1999 to 5th January 2000 and the cost will be £1395 plus flights (cost to be announced soon). For more details please contact us on 01295 267652.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Rachem company of Slough, for the very kind donation of a new cable for our hydrophone. This equipment acts as our underwater ears, enabling us monitor the noises made by the whales when submerged, and thus allowing us to track them. Our old cable was coming to the end of it’s useful life and had undergone several repairs, so the donation of a new one will help our research effort tremendously. Cables of this sort are very expensive and it is unlikely we would have been able to afford a new one for a while.
Favourite quote: On sighting a blue whale surfacing close to the boat, a bride (to remain nameless – you know who you are) was heard to shout loudly "This is better than sex! ". Her groom was unavailable for comment!
Winter 1998\9 Newsletter
Each year it gets harder to find ways to describe how good the summer has been, as they just seem to get better and better, and 1998 was no exception. The weather was the best we have had for years and the sightings were excellent. Sperm whales, bottlenose dolphin and common dolphin were seen on every tour. We saw some amazing behaviours too last summer with two male sperm whales, several groups of pilot whales and a group of Cuvier’s beaked whales all taking a particular interest in the boat, by swimming right over to us. We saw false killer whales and beaked whales (probably Sowerby's ) breaching and on one memorable day in July we encountered ten sei whales, a number we would usually encounter over several months. Add a rare sighting of a pygmy sperm whale and you can see we were very busy last summer. Here is the full sightings record by tour.
Species (% number of tours it was seen on, during summer) Sperm whale (100%), False killer whale (42%), Bottlenose dolphin (100%), Sei whale (15%), Common dolphin (100%), Cuvier’s beaked whales (15%), Spotted dolphin (75%), Pilot whale (67%), Risso’s' dolphin (75%), Sei whale (33%), Striped dolphin (33%), Minke whale (8%), Beaked whales (spec. unknown 33%), Pygmy sperm whale (8%).The average number of species seen on tours in 1998 and 1999 was 6.3 species per tour. A third of all tours saw 8 species and the quietest tour still saw 5 species.
We are pleased to announce the formation of an association of Azorean based whale and dolphin watching companies. The association will initially comprise five founding companies including Whale Watch Azores, with others soon to follow. Its aims will be to improve the welfare of cetaceans in the area and to improve education of local people and visitors to the Azores alike. It will speak out with regard to issues affecting cetaceans in the Azores and eventually through joint research and co-operation, increase our knowledge of cetaceans. Watch this space for more news.
The regulation of whale watching in order to safeguard the welfare of cetaceans in Azorean waters has long been an important issue for Whale Watch Azores, so we were very pleased when October 1998 saw the first symposium on whale and dolphin watching in the Azores. The conference was attended by officials from the Azorean government and maritime authorities, the University of the Azores, several international and Portuguese NGO's (including The International Fund for Animal Welfare, The Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society and Greenpeace), and many representatives of the whale watching industry in the Azores. The conference lasted three days and included discussions on the methods of approaching whales and dolphins, the effects of different boat types, the effects of swimming interactions on whales and dolphins, and the funding and enforcement of the regulations. There were also training workshops for the whale watching companies and an educational inflatable whale and dolphin display for local children. The conference was covered by several local newspapers, TV stations and the Observer newspaper was also represented. We hope this conference (funded mainly by the Portuguese government) will become a bi-annual event and contribute greatly to cetacean welfare locally.
We really enjoy our time in the Azores and pride ourselves in trying to give something back to local people. In 1998 we were able to fulfil this aim. Early on July 9th there was a severe earthquake just off the coast, between the islands of Faial, Pico and Sao Jorge, causing several deaths and large-scale damage to property. We were able to supply a small amount of equipment to help with temporary housing but felt this was not very much, so in late July and early August we ran our first ever "Whale Aid" days. On free days between our own tours we offered day trips to people on holiday in the Azores with all the money going to the earthquake relief fund. On the days trips we took a total of seven people, seeing seven species and raising over £400. Together with donations from guests who travelled on our tours up to the end of the season, we raised nearly £700 for the fund. Thanks go to all who donated. In September we also offered two free educational day trips for some of the local children of Pico. They were very excited and were lucky with sightings of cetaceans, fish and sharks. A swim and slide show were also included. We hope to make these educational trips an annual event if schedules and weather allow.
In 1999 not only will Whale Watch Azores be offering the same high quality whale watching tours but we will also be offering a wide range of Azores holidays covering other activities and land based accommodation. Archipelago Azores Ltd. was formed at the end of 1998 to cater to the growing band of discerning travellers who wish to visit the Azores and see more of these enchanting islands. Archipelago Azores will be offering guided walking holidays together with golf, diving, cycling, sailing, multi activity and short break holidays in the islands. Also offered is a selection of beautiful accommodation in country manors and residences of character, which you can combine with car hire, international/ inter island flights and as much or little activity as you wish. Archipelago Azores is the only UK company specialising solely in the Azores so please call for our 16 page brochure if you are tempted!.
Winter 1997 Newsletter
After five seasons of research as Whale Watch Azores we really thought we had pretty much reached the limit of different species seen in the Azores. During the summer of 1996 we had added humpback whale, minke whale, Pseudorca, True's beaked whale and pygmy sperm whale to our sightings list, bringing the total up to 19 species. Then in 1997 we had the biggest shock of all (and they don't come any bigger). In May and June the Azores were home (for a short period at least) to the mighty blue whale. Blues are the biggest of all whales and are in fact the largest creature ever to have lived. During one of the encounters the animal surfaced very close to our yacht, giving us a brilliant view as it exhaled and submerged. The sound of a blue whale blowing (more an explosion of breath than mere blowing) really is an experience to remember for ever. Even from 100 m away, it is extremely loud and long. During the two encounters we took photo identification pictures and have discovered that the two encounters we had were with different individuals, meaning that it is likely the animals were using the Azores as a stop off point, during their migrations. We will endeavour to find out if there are any researchers round the Atlantic who may already have identified these particular animals and let you know if they have been seen elsewhere.
After preliminary sorting of the past summer's fluke photos: 7 whales were seen in 1997 which were seen in previous years. The results from 1996 found 15 re-sighted whales, keeping up with our normal number of familiar "faces" In January 1998 our on board naturalist Lisa Steiner is presenting her work to the Marine Mammal Society and European Cetacean Society conference in Monaco. The MMS and ECS are the two international organisations that the worlds scientists studying marine mammals belong to and the conference is a joint one, with a likely attendance of nearly 1500 scientists. Lisa will be the first author of a poster discussing her 10 years of research on whales and dolphins of the Azores.
Several sightings were made of this streamlined cetacean last summer. On 2-3 occasions they were actually seen with pieces of tuna in their mouths. In fact the pieces were so large that on one occasion when they were associating with Risso's dolphin, we thought for a while that they were eating Risso's dolphin (Pseudorcas have been known to prey on dolphins occasionally in other regions). A newborn calf was observed during one of the encounters - with foetal folds (from being bent in the mother's womb) still clearly visible.
In 1997 we were very pleased to have Sonia Mendes from the Oceanographic Department of the University of the Azores on board, as our research assistant and student intern. Sonia spent nearly four months on board studying the bottlenose dolphin populations as part of her final year project for her degree in marine biology at the University of Oporto. Sonia, who is from Oporto was the first Portuguese student to take part in our research and showed a keen interest in collecting her data. We feel that offering this opportunity to Sonia was in keeping with our policy of assisting in the education of local (and the Portuguese mainland) people, in relation to the whales and their environment. We hope to offer a similar placement next summer.
The regulations governing whale and dolphin watching in the Azores moved one step closer to implementation this summer when a discussion day was organised by the Government of the Azores. Parties who took part included the Tourism and Environment departments of the Azores Regional Government, the Oceanographic Department of the University of the Azores and the Captain of the port of Horta. Also there were a Portuguese NGO, Whale Watch Azores and other parties involved in the whale and dolphin watching industry in the Azores. The meeting was very constructive with many of the loopholes which had found their way into the suggested guidelines, being removed. We hope the regulations will be completed and implemented soon, giving protection to the cetaceans of the area.
Spring 1997 Newsletter
1997 was one of our most successful years for collections of the sperm whale skin samples. These are naturally shed pieces of skin, collected by scientists and guests on board for DNA analysis. Basically sperm whale dandruff! We collected 106 samples from 42 different whales, many of these came from whales we have corresponding fluke photographs for. The collections were carried out by the swimmers with small hand nets, after the whales had dived and minimal disturbance was caused to the whales. Jo Bond from the Cambridge University Genetics Department says, "This represents a huge step forward in collecting samples for genetic analysis without disrupting normal behaviour patterns. Collecting the skin samples is great fun, especially on hot days, so bring along your snorkelling gear!" This now brings the number of whales sampled in the Azores area up to a total of 123 different animals, since 1987. The skin samples are at the forefront of conservation genetics and analysis will eventually provide a comprehensive picture of family relationships within the groups of whales seen in the Azores. As well as each sample generating an individual DNA identity for that particular whale, the samples collected are also analysed as part of a project investigating the genetic variation in sperm whales around the globe. This part of the study has so far yielded curious results. We would expect Atlantic and Pacific populations to be genetically distinct from one another (as with Humpbacks) but results so far, show that the Azorean whales are very similar to those found in the Pacific. More study is required and we will keep you up to date.
In our Winter 96\97 newsletter we told you about Oliver Boisseau, a Whale Watch Azores (WWA) research assistant who was on board with us in summer 1996, studying the bottlenose dolphin populations of the Azores. He is carrying out his study as a final year project at the University of Bristol and carries on a 1994\5 study by Julian Thomas (a previous WWA research assistant). Julian identified 102 dolphins from 20 encounters, (IFAW yacht 'Song of the Whale' and Whale Watch Azores cruises 1987 - 1993) using photo identification techniques but unfortunately did not manage to match any dolphins between encounters. Oliver however has come up with some really good news. His study used photo ID's from 78 encounters during WWA tours in 95 & 96 and he identified a total of 849 individual animals, finding many re-sightings within schools and more importantly between schools. In 1995 11 individual dolphins were seen more then once during the summer and this figure rose to 20 for summer 1996. He also found one distinctive animal (with a cut-off dorsal fin) seen 4 times between September 1995 and July 1996. Oliver concludes, "Previous studies of bottlenose dolphin worldwide have suggested different populations may be migratory, resident to one area or a combination of the two. As less than 4% of the dolphins were seen in more than one encounter, it seems the latter is occurring in the Azores, with only a small degree of residency. It is likely physical or biological factors (such as temperature and preferred prey) are linked to residency. Hopefully continued photo study of the dolphins will help give a clearer picture of bottlenose associations in the Azores".
You may have read recently in BBC Wildlife magazine of a new species of beaked whale that has been discovered off the West coast of South America. We see a fair few of these elusive creatures in the Azores. Over winter 1996 Lisa has been working hard on studies of the Azorean populations of the various species of beaked whale we see and is shortly due to publish two new scientific papers on these animals. The first paper is a summation of all beaked whale sightings seen in the Azores since 1987, during cruises by 'Song of the Whale' and Whale Watch Azores. It lists 4 different species in total, the most regular being the Sowerby's beaked whale and also concludes that there no are better times of the year to see these animals. The second is an account of a new species record for the Azores, relating when we saw and photographed a True's beaked whale in 1995. Although seen in many parts of the world this species has never been recorded in the Azores before and is the second new species seen in the area by us, since our tours began in 1993.
In February this year we attended the Destinations '97 travel show at Olympia in London and had a very successful show. Our stand incorporated a display from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and this included a inflatable 30ft minke whale which was very popular. We also held a raffle of our photographs on behalf of WDCS which raised £73.
Special Offer The 12 night whale, walk, cycle, sail tour 19th September to 1st October has been reduced in price. Although still based on board our yacht 'Colomban' this tour combines a mixed variety of activities with 2 days each of whale and dolphin watching, walking, cycling and sailing. You can enjoy visiting 2 or 3 different islands in the central group of the Azores, with the walks and cycle rides all guided. Try your hand at sailing on board a large sailing yacht, sample a couple of days whale and dolphin watching and still have 3 free days to explore on your own. Although activities are organised for you as a group, if you wish to opt out of any of the activities this is no problem. The tour cost includes 12 nights food and accommodation on board Colomban, transfers in the islands, shore guides, use of mountain bikes and all sailing instruction. This tour was originally priced at £1100 but is now on special offer at £895 per person. The flight price for this tour is £280p.p.
Spring 1996 Newsletter
Our research is progressing well and for 1996 we will still be collecting fluke photographs of the sperm whales we encounter around the Azores. The catalogue has now increased to over 900 individual sperm whales (up from around 600 when we took over from IFAW in 1993), the largest in the Atlantic and during the next few months Lisa will be hoping to identify old friends from years gone by, as she sorts the summer 1995 additions. Our thanks go to IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) for their continuing support.
In late August as we were heading in to port one evening we came a cross a group of lazing dolphin, in dead calm conditions. At first we thought they were bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) as they were too big to be any other species found in the area. As we looked down on them from just a few feet away, whilst they were bow riding, we noticed on closer inspection, that they had strange pinkish splotches on their undersides and also almost all of them seemed to have characteristically white lips. We realised that they were definitely not bottlenose dolphin and after consulting the field guides we have in our ships library we made a positive identification of the species as the Rough toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis). This caused great excitement, when we realised they were not on the Azores species list. We took photographs of the animals and stayed with them until dusk. We were again surprised a week later when we came across probably the same group around 6 miles from their first position. This time it was in the middle of the day and the animals were a little more animated as they were feeding. After a short period of observation to make sure the boat was not disturbing them too much, we entered the water to get extra photographic data on their feeding habits. It turned out that they were feeding on a bait ball of Snipe fish and we watched as they took turns to enter the ball (a defensive posture on the part of the fish) and take fish by twisting their heads from side to side. This is extremely interesting as little is known about this species and it is quite likely that feeding rough toothed dolphin in the wild has never been witnessed underwater before. Lisa has now written a scientific paper on the 2 encounters for "Archipelago", the University of the Azores scientific journal. The number of species identified in the Azores at sea or from strandings, has now risen to 23.
On the first few tours on 1996 we will be welcoming Jo Bond from the University of Cambridge Genetics Department to join our team on board. Jo is in the second year of her Ph.D., studying the relationships of particular whales in individual pods, using DNA analysis. Jo will be on board to collect the sperm whale skin samples (that are naturally sloughed off the whales) necessary for her work, so get your snorkelling gear and aquarium fish nets ready if you would like to help. Jo will also be adding a slide presentation to our normal series, during each tour and will be happy to explain her work to you.
Lisa and I attended the Marine Mammal Society bi-annual conference in Orlando in December along with around 1200 other delegates from around the world. We participated in many talks and discussions on various subjects relevant to our research and to whales and dolphins in general. Here are a few snippets: If you are connected to the internet you may be interested in a cetacean information address which puts out info sent to them by research scientists around the world: http://whale.simmons.edu You may have heard of the ATOC tests that global warming researchers are planning to conduct soon. These tests involve loud, low frequency sounds being broadcast at a certain depth, made by underwater noise generators and the results recorded, at different places around the world. The idea is to try to work out whether the oceans are warming up. Conservationists made so much fuss about the effects of the noises on the ocean environment and it's inhabitants that the U.S. government funded research into these effects. We heard several reports from cetacean scientists conducting this research, who came to the conclusion that most cetaceans would not be able to hear anything unless they were very close to the sources. Lets hope that this turns out to be the case. We also heard from several researchers working on the North Pacific Blue whale populations. In the early nineties there were reports that their numbers had declined to as low as 1200 but it now seems that this figure may actually be 50 to 60% higher. Before whaling commenced, estimates of world population were around 250,000 so they have a long way to go but there is evidence that they may be starting to recover.
As well as the guests and professional crew on our tours we also invite students to come on board, for the purpose of gaining field research experience. Julian Thomas, a Zoology graduate from Bristol University, joined us for a month at the end of 1994, prior to beginning his M.Sc. course in Marine and Fisheries Science, at Aberdeen University. For his M.Sc. thesis " The ecology of bottlenose dolphin around the central group islands, Azores archipelago, mid-Atlantic.", he used sightings from his period in the Azores with us. He combined these with data previously collected by Whale Watch Azores tours and IFAW researchers. His conclusions include a possible correlation between direction of travel of the dolphin and the wind direction and make very interesting reading. We will be taking note of his recommendations for the future. We congratulate him on passing his MSc and wish him well in the future.
Summer 1995 was a great success for all who took part in Whale Watch Azores, with all the whales and dolphins shown in the brochure being seen regularly. Some cetacean watchers class anything and everything they see as an encounter, usually because they are in areas with low cetacean activity. We are not able to do this as we are collecting information for research purposes and it would be of little use. Our definitions of actual encounters with cetaceans are as follows: for a sperm whale we have to see the animal, identify it, be within half a mile of it and we must be able to track it visually for at least a few minutes. For other species we must get a positive identification and be within half a mile, for it to be considered an actual encounter. An animal that disappears for some time (up to 15 minutes) and then reappears, is classed as the same encounter. Sperm whales spotted whilst we are following another sperm whale, are only counted as a separate encounter, if we are able to go to them once the one we are already with dives, or we see it fluke. Whale Watch Azores is the only organisation undertaking long term cetacean research in the Azores. We can't run the tours and carry out the research without having guests on board to fund it. Your participation in the research is very welcome but is entirely optional. Please consider booking early as we regularly hear from people who can only go on specific dates. If you have any questions about the tours, please feel free to call for a chat. Due to popular demand we have decided to include some shorter tours during the middle part of summer 1996, meaning more economic prices for you, so do join us. Whale Watch Azores is a cetacean watching company that uses a yacht, not a yachting holiday company that happens to see cetaceans. We specialise in what we do and we are the most experienced whale watching company in the Azores. I really hope you can join us next year but if we don't have the pleasure of your company, then have a good summer holiday, wherever you choose.
Spring 1995 Newsletter
The summer of 1994 was an enormous success for us with all the whales and dolphins shown in the brochure being seen regularly. In addition we had some excellent encounters with less frequent visitors, such as beaked whales, bottlenose whales and sei whales, the third largest whale in the world. Sperm whales were regularly seen and on one very busy day in May we had 38 individual, confirmed encounters, in just 7 hours and 1 minute; a whale every 11 minutes and 5 seconds! Looking at the summer as a whole we had 479 encounters with cetaceans, during 71 actual days at sea and just over 70% of those were with sperm whales. We averaged 6.5 different species per trip. The lowest number per trip was 4 (this happened only once, on the trip with the 38 sperm whales in 7 hours) and 3 trips were lucky enough to see 8 species each. High spots of the summer included spending over an hour one evening in June, with a pair of huge sei whales, circling the boat just 15 metres away. A newborn calf (complete with part of the umbilical cord) rubbing himself against the boat for 4 or 5 minutes was seen on a tour in July and seeing a group of 5 rare beaked whales swimming around inside the harbour at Horta, after they got lost was just amazing. This happened at the end of August and lasted 25 minutes and I think we were very lucky to coax them out, using our inflatable, before they were hit by a passing boat. We were still busy in September and on one particular day we had the marvellous sight of a mixed group of around 250 striped and common dolphin, together with bottlenose and spotted dolphin and 12 individual sperm whale encounters too.
One of the most popular reasons why people choose to travel with Whale watch Azores is because your very presence on a tour, funds the research; we could not do it without you! You are also very welcome to take a full part in it. Our research is designed to be as non intrusive as possible and your participation is entirely voluntary. In 1995 we are introducing a new element of research for guests to help with. We are aiming to extend the collection of skin samples from the sperm whales after they have fluked, for use in DNA analysis. We are hoping to develop a special technique for doing this and if it is successful, we can start to build up a picture of the family relationships of the groups we see. Although work of this sort has been done on Orcas and Humpbacks, no one knows the exact relationship between members of a sperm whale pod. This really is at the forefront of cetacean research and is very exciting. Loggerhead turtles also feature in our research, as we take part in the Archie Carr Institute tagging programme and you are able to examine these marvellous creatures, during the short time they are on the deck of our yacht. In 1995 we tagged 25 loggerheads and most guests had a chance to examine a turtle during their tour. For 1995 we have extended the tours to allow an extra day out on the water. Our tour length is chosen to make sure you have the maximum possibility of sighting a lot of cetaceans and we expect to have 7 to 9 days out on the water during each tour. Although summer weather in the Azores is generally very good, 2 or 3 days of poor weather conditions, on a shorter tour would seriously undermine your chances of good sightings.
When comparing Whale Watch Azores with other companies don't forget to make sure you add up the full cost of each tour. The tour price of our holidays includes: 2 nights accommodation on board our yacht, All meals from lunch or dinner (depending on your arrival time) on day one, to breakfast on day thirteen, including at least one visit to a local restaurant for dinner. All running costs of our yacht, fuel, crew wages, port dues, etc. Services of our naturalist (who is experienced in all aspects of Azorean cetaceans) during the whole voyage, including informative talks about the cetaceans and the research Transfers within the Azores 7 to 9 actual days whale and dolphin watching (weather permitting) The Whale Watch Azores fully comprehensive 18 page illustrated information pack, which includes details on clothing, weather, cetaceans, research and tips to help you enjoy your holiday to the full. The information pack is sent to you with your booking confirmation. No stopovers are required in Lisbon on any of our tours. Whale Watch Azores is a cetacean watching company that uses a yacht, not a yachting holiday company that happens to see cetaceans. We specialise in what we do and we are the most experienced whale watching company in the Azores. We look forward to welcoming you aboard next summer.
Winter 1994 Newsletter
1995 is our 3rd year of running cetacean watching tours in the Azores but our experience goes way back to 1988 when my wife Lisa joined the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) team on board the research vessel "Song of the Whale", studying cetaceans in the Azores. Since then Lisa, who is the resident naturalist on board our yacht during all tours, has spent every summer except 1992 in the Azores and is now one of the foremost experts on cetacean research in the islands. Lisa is continuing the research while you are on board, including the operation of the photo identification project on the sperm whales of the islands and in 1994, the work finally started to bear fruit with 2 very interesting developments : 1. Last summer we saw a total of around 100 different sperm whales. Up until 1994 we had only reached a 10 to 15 % re-sights level; whales that had been seen in previous years in the Azores. Last summer we increased this percentage to 20% of the whales we saw. This means that the Azores sperm whale catalogue may be starting to get up towards the maximum number of whales known to be in the area during the summers. In the near future we hope to put the data collected so far into a formulae and use the answer to make an educated guess at the actual population size of the Azores. 2. We are still not quite sure whether the sperm whales stay around the islands all year, for part of the year, or are just passing through. We have lots of theories but no real proof (apart from a piece of an Azorean whalers harpoon, found in the flesh of a sperm whale, captured in Iceland). We also do not know which way the whales were going, if they were travelling. We know that a study of their stomach contents, undertaken while the whales were still being hunted in the Azores, showed that the species of squid they had eaten were prevalent mainly to the south, around the Canaries, Madeira and the Cape Verde islands. This is a very good indication of their movements, but does not prove anything conclusively. Well in 1994 we have made an a very exciting discovery using the photo identification catalogue. On 9th March 1993 the IFAW yacht "Song of the Whale" twice photographed the fluke of a sperm whale, which was given the code number 1314. It had a callous on it's dorsal fin, suggesting it was probably a female and this took place in the Canaries. We have now discovered that this same whale was seen by Lisa in July 1990, during her time as part of the research team, on "Song of the Whale" in the Azores. This is a strong indication that the sperm whales inhabiting the Azores in the summer, are seen in the Canaries in the Winter\Spring. Lisa will be writing this up as a paper for presentation in the scientific journal Archipelago. Although work of this sort is regularly done on Humpbacks, it is especially interesting here as it is the first ever proof that we have come across, of a migratory movement of sperm whales using photo identification techniques in the world. Watch this space for more news.
