Pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Spotted dolphins, Rough-toothed dolphins, Common dolphins, Beaked whales, Baleen whales, probably Sperm whales, Loggerhead sea turtles, terns
Also in June 2023 we were able to observe at least 7, very probably even 8 different species of whales and dolphins on our whale watching tours off La Gomera:
- Bottlenose dolphine
- Pilot whales
- Atlantic spotted dolphins
- Rough-toothed dolphins
- Common dolphins
- Beaked whales (1 sighting was definitely Cuvier’s beaked whales)
- Baleen whales (possibly Bryde’s whales)
- Most probably Sperm whales
This June was really very diverse: On the one hand, the weather messed up our plans quite a bit, and Atlantic depression Oscar kept us from going out to the sea on various days. There were also some tours without sightings. On the other hand, the ocean offered us encounters with at least 7, but most likely even 8 species!
Every single sighting is special and unique and we love them all, but this month there were some very special highlights:
The guests and crew of one unforgettable tour were lucky enough to witness 5 baleen whales, likely Bryde’s whales, swimming right next to the Ascensión del Señor. One of them even leaped out of the water with almost its entire body, right next to the boat! Gifts like this one are very rare….
On another tour we were surprised by a huge pod of about 500 Atlantic spotted dolphins! There was splashing and spraying everywhere, the ocean seemed to be boiling…
And one group experienced a little thriller: a whale sighting, very probably of Sperm whales: we saw a blow from very far away and navigated towards it for a long time. Again and again we could see the blow „fountains“ at a distance, and it became more and more obvious that they were released in at least 2 different places, albeit close together. Again a little later and closer, it became more and more obvious that the blow was slanted – typical of Sperm whales! And a little closer still, to everyone’s delight, a body could be seen. Unfortunately, the animal was just about to dive down, but in doing so it showed us its fluke beautifully as a farewell – another trait typical of Sperm whales. We waited for a while for them to show up again, but since Sperm whales like to dive for 30-45 minutes or even longer, we didn’t see them again. But it was definitely a very exciting expercience!
Photos: Noel Covián, OCEANO archive, U.C. Ludewig