Whale watching, swim with dolphins and scuba diving on the island of pico azores portugal. More information here whale watching in the azores in the early summer months is the best time to see the baleen whales largest whales on their migration routes to the feeding grounds of the northern atlantic passing close to the. They have an obvious interest in the preservation of nature and the respect for animals and people. 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. Dive with whale sharks in azores snorkeling holidays. The best whale watching and swimming with dolphins location in europe, and a beautiful adventure playground in a very top sustainable islands holidays destination. Join an exciting marine wildlife tour with biologists and naturalist guides, to see and learn more about whales, dolphins, turtles, fish, birds, and the season s marine biodiversity of the azores islands. There 80 species of whales in the world and in the azores may be observed 21 and it is normal to find them throughout the year, including the blue whale. More than a third of all cetaceans species can be sighted here throughout the year. At futurismo, we offer responsible whale watching and adventure tours in the azores. Whale watching in the azores gives you a good chance to see the blue whale, the biggest mammal on earth. It was the peak of whale watching season when we visited the azores. March in the azores is one of the most exciting months since we consider it as the beginning read more.
The azores are north of the canary islands and madeira, on roughly the same latitude as lisbon and washington dc. The azores archipelago is one of the worlds largest whale sanctuaries. Dolphin and whale connection whale watching swimming with dolphins ethical dolphin and whale watching holidays. The whale shark is a titan, known to reach up to 41. 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.
There are 80 species of whales in the world and 24 can be found in the waters around the azores. Before the ban on whale hunting, these look outs were used to hunt the whales. Whale sharks escape warming in azores live science. A week long whale watching holiday in the azores islands. We are based in lajes do pico, recognised as one of the top 10 best spots for whale watching in the world. Dolphins in the channel between pico and sao jorge image courtesy of marinhera fernanda. Whalewatching in the azores which whales to see and when. Whale watching in the azores special interestportugal. Includes information about the area and the cetaceans living there, research project details, environmental policy, newsletter, and photos. The best whale watching in europe cetacean habitat. Go whale watching from sao miguel in the azores retired. Accommodations type all types youth hostels local lodging camping parks hotels rural tourism island all islands santa maria sao miguel terceira graciosa sao jorge pico faial flores corvo. We use small and efficient boats with limited size groups in order to limit the impact on wildlife.
Among resident and migrant species, common or rare, more than 20 different types of cetaceans can be spotted in the azores. Join us during your holidays in sao miguel and pico islands. Whale watching i did it with espaco talassa from lajes do pico and really recommend them. Our whale watching trips have a strong educational element with multimedia briefings before each trip and debriefings on return to shore. To maximize our chance to see whales, we decided to try on sao miguel first and see how things. Lying about a third of way across the atlantic between portugal and north america, its the permanent or temporary home of more than a quarter of all known cetacean species mark carwardine, whale watching specialist.
The azores are located about 850 miles 1,360 km off the coast of portugal. Yachtbased whale and dolphin research holidays to the azores archipelago. The best time for whale watching is the summer from april to october, though. Surrounded by several large tunas and countless other species of fish, these giants of the sea pass close to the archipelago as they make their way across the atlantic. With sightings possible all year round, the azores islands are one of the best places for whale watching in the atlantic. Whens the best time to go whale watching in the azores. Among the resident and migratory species, some common, some rarer, you can see more than 24 different types of cetaceans in the waters of the azores. Join us on one of our exciting whale watching holidays. Their geographic location in the atlantic between europe and the americas puts the azores in the unique position to enjoy a perfect balance of seclusion and. The azores are currently one of the worlds largest whale sanctuaries. Whaletrips azores best tips for whale watching on azores. The sea colors azores is a family, ecofriendly company,run by the marine biologist jasmine and captain paulo. We debated whether to go whale watching from sao miguel at the beginning of our visit or wait until we visited faial later in the trip. In addition, it is the site of the only secondary school, the civil airport, and.
The azores islands are considered to be one of the 10 best destinations in the world to see whales and dolphins collectively known as cetaceans. They are very professional and the area just off pico is full of whales in the season. Go whale watching from sao miguel in the azores retired and. Air temperatures range from 1726c during the season with mainly sunshine but occasional rainy days should be expected throughout the summer. Most tours start at the islands of san miguel, faial and pico, and are usually done by high speedzodiacs for up to 12 persons. Watch for whales and dolphins on this special holiday in the azores. Azores whale watching and dolphins is known to be among the best in the world.
Whale watching and swimming with them azores forum. The sea colors azores has a very friendly and professional team. The population in 2011 was 1,725, in an area of 39. The most sighted are the sperm whale, sei whale, fin whale, pilot whale, mink whale, common dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, atlantic spotted dolphin, striped dolphin, and rissos dolphin.
Whale watching in august azores message board tripadvisor. This is an an ecosystem with unique characteristics. Dolphin and whale connection whale watching swimming. Peak season is from april through to october whilst in the spring, the larger migratory species are passing thr.
Jul 16, 2014 the whale shark is a titan, known to reach up to 41. The azores is one of the best places in the world to see whales and dolphins. In may and june, baleen whales including blue, sei, fin and humpback whales pass through these waters on their annual migration to their summer feeding grounds in the north. So the whale watching is reserved for the period between the months may and october. The main season runs from april all the way through the summer to october and during these months different species pass by the azores on their migratory paths april and may are usually a good time to go for a chance to see the larger whales such as blue, fin and sei whales, whilst october can be a good time to spot humpbacks.
You see, its sturdy prow carves big ripples in the sea surface, much bigger and consistent than those of the lighter and faster boats, and, judging by what we saw the dolphins do, these ripples must be so much. Freed from the pressure of the whalers, taking benefits of the clean waters and abundant food, the whales remain near the islands throughout the year, being easily sighted and making the archipelago one of the best observation points of sperm whales in the world. Sperm whale the azores are known, in particular, because of its constant presence of sperm whales. Classic whale watching trip in the azores archipelago, from. In the azores we booked whale watching from sao miguel. Located right in the course of the gulf stream, the azores are also one of the areas richest with fish worldwide.
Azores getaways offseason deal international travel news. Remember that in the azores the time of whale watching is dictated not by migratory rhythms of cetaceans but by atmospheric conditions. Dive with whale sharks in azores snorkeling holidays top. Set sail around the princess ring islet of vila franca do campo on a cruise, accompanied by a marine biologist guide, and look out for sperm and pilot whales, bottlenose and rissos dolphins, sea turtles, and other marine. Fin whales, humpback whales, sperm whales and dolphins are just some of the wonderful cetaceans that youll be watching out for on this magical wildlife holiday in the unspoilt islands of the azores set off with your expert host for three halfday whale watching trips in the waters of three of the islands. 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. The best time to visit the azores is quite simply whenever you get the chance. It is the largest population center in the western group of the portuguese azores, concentrating all governmental and judicial services of the island.
Swimming with the wild dolpins of the azores archipelago is a life changing experience. It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the macaronesia region of the north atlantic ocean, about 1,360 km 850. 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. Their geographic location in the atlantic between europe and the americas puts the azores in the unique position to enjoy a perfect balance of seclusion and visitation from transatlantic explorers. Whats the best season for watching cetaceans in europe. 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.
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. That said, sea conditions can get rougher during the winter season so the best time to visit the azores for boat trips is. During 9 night tours we average 67 species 46 on the short break tours of whale and dolphin, including sperm whales and several species of dolphin. The captain of this boat, jose, and his small team are born in the azores and love the atlantic ocean and its animals his stories of whale sightings and behaviour are fascinating. Due to the marine influence, temperatures remain mild yearround. With 30 years of experience, futurismo is a pioneer and leader in whale and dolphin watching. See more ideas about azores, whale watching and whale. The climate of the azores is very mild for such a northerly location, being influenced by its distance from the continents and by the passing gulf stream. Although whale season is almost over in october we went out on the. An important thing to remember about the area is that in the azores the whalewatching season mayoctober is dictated by the weather and not by the migrations of the whales and dolphins, which are seen year round. Whale watching in the azores islands is unquestionably one of the most exciting and unforgettable adventures. Dolphin and whale connection whale watching swimming with.
Best time to visit the azores responsible vacation. Peak season is from april through to october whilst in the spring, the larger migratory species are passing through. Serge left in front of his whale watching base on pico. More than 30% of all the worlds types of whales and dolphins pass the azores on their annual travels between arctic and tropical waters.
Whale watching futurismo azores adventures, ponta delgada. Located about halfway between lisbon and new york, the azores are a volcanic group of islands that belong to portugal. They really love marine wildlife and the ocean, doing professional research and marine conservation sin. Temperatures are rarely lower than 14c, and they dont tend to get much higher than 25c, which makes it perfectly pleasant all year round.
Oct 16, 2017 whale watching in azores islands portugal. Whale watching in the azores espaco talassa pico island. The azores are ideally located in the middle of the atlantic ocean and are considered one of the ten best places in the world to watch whales and dolphins. Whale watching holidays the azores the azores holidays. It is the largest and most comfortable whale watching boat operating on sao miguel island. Blue whales, sperm whales and several dolphin species are some examples. Nov 28, 2017 in the azores we booked whale watching from sao miguel. Tourist frequentation is still small, the quantity and diversity of the whales observed is high, theres little visual pollution and pico mountain lies in the background. These animals can be seen in many places around the azores but the waters around the islands of pico and sao jorge harbour some of my favourite spots. There are 80 species of whales and dolphins on the planet and 2425 of them have been sighted off the coast of the azores depending on the source of information. Whale watching from ponta delgada sao miguel azores. By 1998 eight tour operators were running tours from the village of only 400 permanent inhabitants, with some running two boats, each making up to two trips per.
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