As well as tourists and scientists, the whales and other sealife have. Fin whales, humpback whales, sperm whales and dolphins are just some of the wonderful cetaceans that youll be watching out. Whale watching in the azores is unique and offers some of the best sightings in the world as we are assisted by the vigia, local land based lookouts. The portuguese islands of the azores sit conveniently in the middle of the midatlantic feeding grounds of the worlds largest animal. The azores changed from hunting whales, to whale watching and researching the cetaceans.
The azores are europes leading whale watching destination, home to sperm and pilot whales, beaked whales and false killer whales, and bottlenose, common and northatlantic spotted dolphins. Our small group, blue whale tour in the azores is an. An absolute must if visiting the lovely horta in the azores. Whale and dolphin watching holidays in azores vacations. Richard sears has been one of the most important blue whale researchers in the world for more than forty years. Multiscale habitat preference analyses for azorean blue whales. Pdf the sperm whale, physeter macrocephalus, was the most captured great. The azores are great in november as there are far fewer crowds and flights and places to stay are cheaper. Their geographic location in the atlantic between europe and the americas puts the azores in the. The whaleplanner january a whale watching infographic.
In july 2008, i left my tenyear banking career to travel around the world. Whale watching is one of the main attractions for tourists to visit the azores, some explicitly coming just for the whales. Miguel island, azores whale watching activity provides the opportunity to watch up to twenty cetacean species that can be found in the ocean waters of the azores islands. Marinas all along the algarve coastline offer whale and dolphin watching trips, however, its the waters around portugals islands where the countrys best whale watching awaits. Information collected is used to understand more about the lives of these amazing animals. Is midnovember a time when whale watching is common or outofseason. The azores are currently one of the worlds largest whale sanctuaries. I spent ten great days in the azores islands in late november. Among resident and migrant species, common or rare, more than 20 different types of cetaceans can be spotted in the azores. We use small and efficient boats with limited size groups in order to limit the impact on. The baleen whale season from march to june sees one of the largest.
The atlantic ocean, the archipelago of the azores, is on a migration route for many species of cetaceans, making it one of the best places in the world for whale and dolphin watching activity. A week long whale watching holiday in the azores islands. Watch for whales and dolphins on this special holiday in the azores. Includes information about the area and the cetaceans living there, research project details, environmental policy, newsletter, and. Whale watching in the azores special interestportugal. Whale watching in the azores, check our programs futurismo.
Dive with whale sharks in azores snorkeling holidays. Whale watching, swim with dolphins and scuba diving on the island of pico azores portugal. The azores are north of the canary islands and madeira, on roughly the same latitude as lisbon and washington dc. We are based in lajes do pico, recognised as one of the top 10 best spots for whale watching in the world. Best time to visit the azores responsible vacation. When is the best time to see whales and dolphins in the azores. The azores are widely recognized as one of the top destinations in the world for whale spotting. Vacation whale watching activities in portugal expedia. Nine green dots in the vastness of the atlantic ocean, the azores are currently considered one of the best places for whalewatching in the world. Moving towards sustainable practices for whale watching in azores. Blue whales are sighted every year around the azores islands, which apparently provide an important seasonal foraging area. Whens the best time to go whale watching in the azores. If you book a whale and dolphin watching holiday to the main azorean island of sao miguel with archipelago choice the chances are that your trips will start either from the marina in ponta. Whale watching in august azores message board tripadvisor.
The azores, in the middle of the atlantic ocean, is an archipelago of nine islands showing nature in its purest state, and one of the largest whale sanctuaries in the world. Influenced by the gulf stream, the islands enjoy a mild, breezy climate, with. Every year there are hundreds and thousands of whales and. A unique archipelago of nine portuguese islands, the azores are truly a unique and beautiful destination. The azores are located about 850 miles 1,360 km off the coast of portugal. Swimming with dolphins imagine yourself immersed in the deep blue sea with the dolphins kayaking and sup this is definitely the. Freed from the pressure of the whalers, taking benefits of the clean waters and abundant food, the. Azores whale watching and dolphins is known to be among the best in the world. The azores archipelago is one of the prime whale and dolphin hotspots in the world and around 30% of the worlds known cetacean species have been recorded there. The azores, and especially lajes do pico, is undoubtedly one of the 10 best whale watching spots in the world, and for sure the best in the azores.
This whale watching activity provides the opportunity to watch up to twenty cetacean species that can be found in the ocean waters of the azores islands. With lots of videos straight from the rubber dinghy. July to october is high season in the azores, due to the manta seasons that operate from. Join an exciting marine wildlife tour with biologists and naturalist guides, to see and. Tourist frequentation is still small, the quantity and. Sperm whale captures and oil production in the azores between 1948 and 1985. By then whale watching was randomly done when by luck a group of cetaceans crossed the course of those trips and the passengers had the chance to observe them. Article pdf available in journal of the marine biological association of the uk 8905. Dolphin and whale watching in the azores dolphin and. Whale watch azores promotes responsible whale and dolphin watching. Remember that in the azores the time of whale watching is dictated not by migratory rhythms of cetaceans but by atmospheric conditions.
Pdf past and recent sperm whales sightings in the azores based. It is the marine life to be found at these sites that turns the azores from a very good diving destination into a worldclass one. Sperm whale the azores are known, in particular, because of its constant presence of sperm whales. We are a team of researchers and field biologists univ. Azores best tips for whale watching on azores whaletrips. There are 80 species of whales and dolphins on the planet and 2425 of them have been sighted off the coast. Whale watching in the azores futurismo is one of the most experienced whale watching companies in the azores, offering yearround responsible whale and dolphin watching tours and swimming with. Yachtbased whale and dolphin research holidays to the azores archipelago. Tours operate from march to october and are of either 5, 7 or 9 nights duration. Whale watching in the azores islands is unquestionably one of the most exciting and unforgettable adventures. Diving with whale sharks santa maria island diving with the worlds largest fish in clear waters is undoubtedly one of the best diving experiences of the azores. At these sites, it is all about diving in the blue with virtually guaranteed. Whalewatching in the azores which whales to see and when. The best time to visit the azores is quite simply whenever you get the chance.
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