Ocean Conservationists, Caitlin and Callum, have recently been onboard Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines’ Bolette travelling to the Azores and Madeira. Along with many eager passengers, they were hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the deepest diving whales of the world – the sperm whale.
Whilst the accomplishment for the deepest dive ever recorded currently belongs to the Cuvier’s beaked whale, which clocked in at almost three kilometres, sperm whales still dive to astonishing depths, with the deepest a sperm whale has ever been recorded is an impressive 2,250 m.
Even at 2,250 m, the pressure at that depth is equivalent to 2,303,029 kg/m2 of force exerted, which is roughly the same as 400 elephants over each square meter of the whale’s body! So, how can a sperm whale dive to such great depths? Sperm whales and other deep diving cetaceans are equipped with a range of adaptations that help them achieve these lofty feats.
The Azores and Madeira are a particularly good location to spot this ocean giant. The archipelago of the Azores and the island of Madeira are characterised by underwater canyons and volcanic terrain, with deep feeding grounds close to shore. In fact, the Azores are designated as an Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA), in part due to the aggregations of vulnerable sperm whales in the area.
However, conservation wasn’t always the focus on these islands. If we look back at the history of the Azores, whaling had a disastrous effect on cetacean populations, with this trade learnt from the American whaling ships that visited.
Onshore lookouts, or ‘vigias’ in Portuguese, were sat on high points around the islands. When the whales were spotted from the lookouts, smoke signals were used to indicate the position of the animals and the whalers would go out to those areas.
Records during the peak whaling years (1896-1949) show that 12,000 whales had been killed around the Azores, with sperm whales heavily targeted. Thankfully, in 1982, Portugal signed the IWC’s moratorium on international whaling, prohibiting commercial whaling of any kind.
Since then, the Azores have pivoted towards whale watching.
Responsible whale watching (RWW) is key to appreciating and respecting these amazing animals. The guidelines include: maintaining a distance of at least 100m; approaching slowly from the sides to avoid chasing or blocking an animal’s path; and maximum duration spent with the animal(s), depending on the number of boats present.
If you are ever unsure whether a tour operator follows these guidelines, there are two simple questions you can ask:
Do you follow RWW guidelines?
Can you tell me what they are?
Chances are, if they can’t answer them, then they don’t follow them!
One unique application of the guidelines is that the vigias on the Azores have been repurposed and are used to detect cetacean activity from land. Observers radio local whale watching companies with sightings information, which improves coordination of boats arriving near a whale, reducing the overall level of disturbance caused to the animals.
This highlights how the attitude and cultural practices have shifted in the Azores, providing a safe haven for these deep divers to call home.
ORCA believe that everyone who cares about whales and dolphins can play an active role in safeguarding their future, and that's why we've designed our e-learning courses to give more people than ever before the chance to contribute to our research. Whether it's learning to spot and identify different species or using our fantastic OceanWatchers, we have the perfect way for you to start your conservation journey and learn about the role you can play in helping us understand and protect whales, dolphins and porpoises around the world. Visit learn.orca.org.uk to find out more and book your place today!
Main image credit - Richard Lovelock Photography