OceanWatcher Iona Chisholm takes us on a whale watching adventure in Spain
Having spent years hoping for a sight of cetaceans behaving naturally and thriving in the wild, more recently I’ve been after something more. I couldn’t have even put what this was into words until I went on a whale and dolphin watching trip from Tarifa last summer.
Tarifa is in Spain and the southernmost point of Europe. From there, we took a boat trip and headed out into the Strait of Gibraltar. Several species of cetacean are regularly sighted here in close proximity to the boats and so we were optimistic.
Our first visitor was an inquisitive bottlenose dolphin, which was soon joined by another and a small group of pilot whales. What was extraordinary about this experience was that there was a powerful interaction between the cetaceans and everyone on the boat and we observed some fascinating cetacean behaviour. Two adult pilot whales appeared to be cradling a calf between themselves and presenting it to the stationary boat by swimming to and fro, yet protecting the calf between them. The bottlenose dolphins were energetic and acrobatic, bringing us a resounding, collective joy. But there was one which settled itself close to the side of the boat and stayed with just its tail out of the water in front of me, waving its tail to and fro repeatedly, just like a hand in greeting!
If that wasn’t enough to lift my spirits for some time, as we returned to the harbour, a small fishing boat was approaching us from the starboard side and as it came to cross in front of us, it was joined by a large pod of common dolphin leaping joyously with their yellow streaks shining through the waves. The feeling of happiness and fulfilment from our boat was palpable.
Cetaceans are intelligent and curious creatures which means that they are also willing to instigate a meaningful and emotional interaction with us as well. The connection that I felt from my experiences this summer made me more determined than ever to do my bit to celebrate and protect them.
Iona has completed the following ORCA courses - ‘Introduction to Whale and Dolphin Identification’ and ‘OceanWatchers’. Why don’t you become part of our voluntary Citizen Science network and invest in other knowledge and understanding of cetaceans too?
Citizen science is at the heart of everything we do and we have made it even easier to get involved in whale and dolphin conservation with our e-learning courses. These courses are the perfect introduction to the world beneath the waves and will teach you everything you need to know about spotting, identifying and record vital scientific data on these incredible animals so that you too can help ORCA's conservation work. Course are live today so visit learn.orca.org.uk to find out more and start your journey to helping us protect whales and dolphins around the world.