With the introduction of our weekly and monthly updates, here is a catch-up of all sea states:
Sea State 0
Per.. fe.. ction: Mirror sea, no ripples, no wind.
No effect on the navigation.
Perfect conditions to find dolphins (spotting range up to 2km)
In encounters rating 3 or more you can see the dolphins or the whales swimming underwater as clear as you’re in an aquarium. Depending of their mood you can even have a dolphin looking you in the eye!
This is why we bother you in changing your booking to a better day
Sea State 1
It’s a soft ride: Flat sea, scaly ripples.
No effect on the navigation.
Very good conditions to find dolphins (spotting range up to 1km)
In encounters rating 3 or more, you still can see where the dolphins are through the surface, but details become distorted, only behaviour can be traced underwater.
Sea State 2
It’s an off-road ride: Darker sea, short wavelets, waves don’t break. Sun glare is significant.
Wind is strong enough to through water back into the boat, stern where crew is, starts getting splashed. At this state we take precautions where we go for a comfortable return, as usually wind picks up and the next sea state, reduces the comfort aboard.
Fair conditions to find dolphins (spotting range up to 200m). Sun glare and the dark dolphins in dark seas becomes a constrain in how far we can spot them.
You only can see shadows underwater.
Sea state 3
Excitement guaranteed: Large wavelets, waves breaking with glassy appearance, frequent white foam on the horizon.
Wind direction states where we can go, going on the wrong direction makes guests on back seats be frequently splashed. Departures under these conditions mean that back seats are not bookable.
Minimum conditions to find dolphins (spotting range <100m). At distance, the white foam gives false positives, masking the dolphins between the waves. Waves are high enough to hide dolphins behind them, we can only spot the pod, not the single dolphin.
Sea State 4
It’s a wet roller coaster: Small waves, white foam forming everywhere.
Back seats become very wet and 5th row isn’t safe from splashes. Cameras, phones and other tech need to be well sheltered from the elements. Bags aren’t safe of the floor, as there will be water on the floor. Even during a dolphin encounter, wind blows water into the boat.
No conditions to find dolphins, white foam masks the dolphins, even at close range. Very distracting as driving in comfort demands constant attention, few spare seconds to look to the horizon. (spotting range <30m). Only groups traveling fast can be spotted or with individuals jumping above the horizon or if the dolphins approach the boat on their own.
This sea state are responsible for most 1 star rated encounters as we lose the dolphins easily.
This seas are within safety limits for our boat but extreme events might cross the line. Comfort is compromised and the scenery is overwhelming for the inexperienced travellers. However those seeking adrenaline or #seekdiscomfort experiences will thrive under these conditions. It’s no surprise that tours under this state, have given us some bad reviews.
As we don’t do tours with sea state above 3, this state or higher are mostly found in the end of some tours. This sea state means the tour must continues very restricted to wind direction.