|20250210| South of Faial surprising us in our first expedition of 2025 !
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We recorded cetacean numbers, behavior and photo-ID, counted Portuguese man-o-war aggregations and sizes
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What an adventure in our first expedition of 2025! Our journey began in Pico, setting out across the deep blue waters towards the south of Faial Island. As we cruised along, the first marine life we encountered was a pod of Common dolphins (Delphinus delphis). But our real destination lay further ahead—the whale area, where we hoped to observe some of the giants of the ocean. We finally spotted several Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). These deep-divers are always a highlight of any expedition, and as we watched, they surfaced, rested, and prepared for their next deep dive.
Just when we thought the day couldn't get any more exciting, something completely unexpected happened—a lone female orca (Orcinus orca) approached! Seeing an orca in these waters is already a rare event, but what followed was even more remarkable. The orca appeared to exhibit predatory behavior, possibly targeting one of the sperm whales—a smaller individual, likely a juvenile. With our hydrophone in the water, we were able to capture the sounds of this incredible interaction: the orca’s vocalizations, echoing among the sperm whales, provided a fascinating acoustic perspective on this rare event.
Check the video and sound recording in our social media!
We hope you enjoyed your trip & see you again on another opportunity!
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