Pilot whales, Spotted dolphins, Common dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Baleen whales, Loggerhead turtles
We have recently seen the following whale and dolphin species on our whale watching tours off La Gomera:
- Pilot whales (Indian pilot whales)
- Spotted dolphins
- Common dolphins
- Bottlenose dolphins
- Baleen whale (unidentified)
- Loggerhead turtle
On various days we encountered a group of common dolphins, a shark and even a sunfish shortly after leaving the harbour.
Along the coast to the north, 3 or even 4 large baleen whales passed by. It looked like one of them was a juvenile. We were able to accompany them for a while and experience some breathtaking moments. Just seeing their huge bodies as they surfaced or their blowing as they exhaled was gigantic. We could hardly believe it. There might even have been a blue whale among them…
Pilot whales showed up with their curious young and calves. We are always delighted to see that there are offspring and that the youngsters curiously lift their heads out of the water and come close to the boat to inspect us. We often encounter the pilot whales together with the bottlenose dolphins.
Spotted dolphins with many juveniles made us happy while swimming in the bow wave at the front of the boat.
Unfortunately, we found another turtle entangled in plastic rubbish and a weak pardela that could no longer lift itself out of the water. We collected them and passed them on to the responsible centre in Gran Canaria. They are being treated and will hopefully recover quickly so that they can be released back into the open sea soon.
The sighting rate was 92.3%!
Fotos: Noel Covián, Ricarda Scholz, OCEANO Archiv