I remember a day that I encountered orcas, running dolphins (no, they were not being chased by the orcas) and a sunset over the ocean, what better combination can you ask for?
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This was an encounter of a lifetime and I photographed and filmed the magical moment. There aren't many documented cases of people seeing sperm whales giving birth, but I witnessed it and recorded two births in succession. The lucky encounter started with a gathering of about 30 whales in a tight group, and about 20 more whales that I could count. The tight group started getting very active, with thrashing tails, fast and loud breaths being exhaled and a lot of rolling around and physical contact. After at least 20 minutes of this activity there was blood in the water. The blood appeared several times as the whales increased their activity. Then between all the blood and confusion a newborn sperm whale emerged. The group's activity calmed down after the appearance of this recently born whale. However, after the whales resumed active behaviours with the newborn right in the middle. When I saw more blood appear I was afraid the newborn had been crushed between the adults. But to my surprise another calf was seen among the adults. Two sperm whales born in a row, I felt like the luckiest marine biologist on the planet!
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On this particular day I was extremely lucky to see a very recently born newborn sperm whale. The young whale couldn't even swim properly yet, as it was draped the back of one of the adults in the group, as shown in the photo below. This encounter was the beginning of a lucky period for me to see newborn sperm whales. My next post will be an account of a sperm whale birth that I witnessed first hand, blood an all. Check back tomorrow for photos of the birth ;).
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The following photos show the perfect moment when a dolphin or whale first breaks the surface. If you photograph the right moment you can capture really cool water features (such as the bracelet-wearing common dolphin below), perfect reflections and weird distortions cased by the surface tenson of the water.
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Today I just felt like sharing a random selection of photos from some trips around the island, so here they are:
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A city full of History - Angra do Heroísmo was the capital city of Portugal once upon a time. I just love the vibrant architecture in this historic city in the Atlantic.
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The Azores islands are situated almost smack bang in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. Pico Island is one of the islands that make up this archipelago of rugged volcanic islands.
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Cetaceans (whales and dolphins) displaying an array of surface activities. Such a variety of species and behaviours can all be seen in a few hours on the water off the Azores islands.
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