Sightings in July 2023

Pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Spotted dolphins, Rough-toothed dolphins, Common dolphins, Striped dolphins, Loggerhead sea turtles

In July 2023 we observed mostly dolphins on our Whale Watching tours off La Gomera – in fact, Pilot whales are dolphins as well:

Bottlenose dolphine
Pilot whales
Atlantic spotted dolphins
Rough-toothed dolphins
Common dolphins
Striped dolphins

At the beginning of the month, we saw many calves during our encounters with the Pilot whales… and from time to time there was also a newborn where you could still see the birth stripes! With a lot of luck we were also able to watch them cuddling with their mothers. At the end of the month, the Short-finned Pilot whales started to show up a bit less often, as is their custom over the summer, so we were all the more pleased when did get to meet them.

Oh yes, the Atlantic spotted dolphins had offspring, as well!

Once we were visited by Striped dolphins, a rather rare sighting here. They usually move very fast and don’t really have time for us. When such a pod speeds past you, you get the impression that they spend more time above the water surface than below and almost seem to “fly” by…

Now in July, we were also gifted with frequent visits from Rough-toothed dolphins! Especially in the summer, they can be quite “playful”, it does happen that a sea turtle or Shearwater might be used as a “toy”. This time it was a puffer fish whose day probably didn’t go as planned… And we were also able to observe their typical synchronized swimming – side by side, moving at the exact same speed.

Also, we found a lot of Loggerhead sea turtles this month, sadly quite a few of them had got tangled up in plastic rubbish. Fortunately, we could get them out of the water and cut them loose easily. As nothing had cut into the skin or become infected, we were able to release them back into the sea, where they disappeared back into the depth quick as lightning… A safe journey to all of you!