Weekly Update July #3

In the past week we found dolphins in all of the dolphin watching tours. We took half an hour or less to find the first dolphin group in all tours and in all of them we found at least a second group.

We sighted only one dolphin species, the common dolphin and we also had 2 sightings of Fin Whale. (picture)

On average, we had 8 guests per dolphin watching tour and 1 seasickness case. Sea state was on average sea state 3.

This following week we expect very windy afternoons, we only will do tours in the morning. Wednesday 26th and Friday 28th have the best sea conditions of the week.

Weekly Update July #2

We missed the first weekly update of July, we found dolphins in all of the dolphin watching tours of the past 2 weeks.
In the past week, we took half an hour or less to find the first dolphin group in 56% tours and only in 3 we didn’t found at least a second group.We sighted two dolphin species, the common dolphin and the bottlenose dolphin. We also had one sighting of blue shark and sun fish. We also had fin whales passing by the bay on the 14th, but didn’t managed to meet them as they were too far south.

On average, we had 8 guests per dolphin watching tour and 1 seasickness case. Sea state was on average sea state 2 and we got one day with underestimated forecast and got sea state 5, we managed to find dolphins with just some legs wet!

This following week we expect windy afternoons. We only will do tours in the morning, as finding dolphins in the afternoon would rely too much on luck.

Weekly Update June #5

In the past week we found dolphins in all of the dolphin watching tours. We took half an hour or less to find the first dolphin group in 75% tours and only one we didn’t found a second group.The Lisbon&Dolphins afternoon tours, had 75% chance rate of seeing dolphins.

We sighted two dolphin species, the common dolphin and the bottlenose dolphin. We also had one sighting of Sei Whale and harbour porpoise. We also had orcas passing by the bay on the 30th, but didn’t managed to find them (they eventually returned to the south).

On average, we had 9 guests per dolphin watching tour and 2 seasickness cases. Sea state was on average sea state 3 and we got one day with underestimated forecast and got sea state 5, we managed to find dolphins with just some legs wet!

This following week we expect windy days, specially in the afternoon. Only Friday and Saturday have light wind forecasted, with almost perfect conditions for dolphin watching. We only will do tours in the morning and all tours on Tuesday will be on hold, as the windy will be too disrupting.

Weekly Update June #4

In the past week we found dolphins in all of the dolphin watching tours. We took half an hour or less to find the first dolphin group in all tours and in 40% of them we found at least a second group.

The Lisbon&Dolphins afternoon tours, had 75% chance rate of seeing dolphins.

We sighted only one dolphin species, the common dolphin and we also had 2 sightings of Sei Whale. (picture)

On average, we had 8 guests per dolphin watching tour and 1 seasickness case. Sea state was on average sea state 1.

This following week we expect windy afternoons, we only will do tours in the morning. From Thrusday 29th to Friday 30th all tours will be on hold, as dolphins should not be entering the Tagus river and the windy and swell will be too disrupting.

 

Weekly report: June #3

In the past week we found dolphins in all of the dolphin watching tours. We took less than 30 min to find the first dolphin group in 80% of the tours and in all of them we found at least a second group.

The Lisbon&Dolphins afternoon tours, had 80% chance rate of seeing dolphins.

We sighted 2 dolphin species, the common dolphin were the most sighted species this week, followed by the bottlenose dolphins. In addition to dolphins we also have one sighting of two Harbour Porpoises.

On average, we had 10 guests per dolphin watching tour and no seasickness cases. Sea state was on average sea state 3 (picture).

This following week we expect windy afternoons and calm mornings. So far, only Thursday seems too be too windy for doing dolphin watching tours.

 

Weekly report: June #1

In the past week we found dolphins in all of the dolphin watching tours. We took less than 1h to find the first dolphin group in 50% tours and in all of them we found at least a second group.

The Lisbon&Dolphins afternoon tours, had 50% chance rate of seeing dolphins.

We sighted just one dolphin species last week, the common dolphin, normally groups with adults, juveniles and babies.

On average, we had 8 guests per dolphin watching tour and no seasickness cases. Sea state was on average sea state 1 (in the picture).

This week we expect very calm mornings perfect for dolphin watching and windy afternoons that will not be suitable. From Wednesday 7th to Friday 9th we expect degradation of sea conditions and maybe some rain. We will assess if is doable to rely only on the river to find the dolphins.

Update: From Wednesday 7th to Friday 9th there will be no tours, due poor sea conditions and lack of dolphins in the river. We expect the return of dolphins to the river on the weekend (10th-11th).

Items to bring on a dolphin watching trip

Ahoy sailors!

Going on a dolphin expedition with Lisbon dolphins is very exciting because you get to explore the waters around Lisbon and know the wildlife that occurs in them, such as dolphins and seabirds! But, as with all expeditions in the natural environment, sometimes we need to be prepared for the conditions we can face. Therefore, we made a list of suggested items that you can bring on, which can make these expeditions more comfortable for you.

What to Wear

The first and most important aspect of the expeditions is the weather. The conditions at sea are comparable to conditions at the top of a mountain, unsheltered and with direct wind stealing your heat away. This is more evident during the summer, when the sea is much cooler than the land. Therefore, you should check the weather for a couple of hours before the expeditions, so you can know what to expect and organize your clothing accordingly. It’s best to always bring layers of clothing, so you can put them on if it’s too cold or windy. In the summer, bring a jumper or a light jacket and a sun hat. Regarding footwear, it’s best to have something that is close to your feet, not slippery and that can be protective, therefore avoid flip-flops and high heels. In winter, bring a waterproof wind jacket, and a beanie and pack a couple of layers for the top half of the body. You can bring them in your backpack, so you don’t sweat before the expedition, and then decide if you need to put on some layers. If it’s going to be sunny, bring your sunglasses and sunscreen for your face, regardless of the season.

Tech and accessories

Dolphins are amazing creatures, so whenever we spot them, it’s always nice to have a photo or a video of them to show to your friends and family back home. Nowadays, we always carry our cell phones with us and some of them have awesome recording and photographic capabilities, therefore bring a fully charged cell phone and free up some extra storage space. If you have a camera with powerful lenses, they can provide you with that unique shot of the dolphins and the landscape. GoPro and similar cameras can also be useful to capture dynamic videos. Of course, if you are not tech-savvy and don’t want to waste time with all of these, your eyes, and memory, coupled with your excitement, can surely provide you with the warmest memories of these animals!

Food and beverages

Up to three hours on a boat can bring some growling sounds in your belly. Therefore, it’s always helpful to bring a snack to ease some of those belly monsters! You might bring a water bottle, but we do not recommend drinking until we’re heading back. We don’t allow alcoholic beverages on our expeditions.

Before the expedition

Make sure you go to the bathroom before the expedition and don’t drink too much. Your are probably going to be away for up to three hours.

Now we are all set to roam in the waters around Lisbon and search for some dolphins! Off we go!

A week of dolphins in Lisbon

The past week had an unprecedented amount of dolphins sighted in the river Tagus. A total of 5 sightings were recorded on video and shared throughout social media, 4 of them were in consecutive days.

Last sighting of the week, the furthest upriver

All sightings were of small groups of common dolphins, corroborating the previous studies which indicated that common dolphins are the most sighted species in the Tagus. This contrasts with all the other rivers, which have mostly bottlenose dolphin sightings. This could be related to the depth preferences of these species, common dolphins prefer depths of at least 20m while bottlenose dolphins are perfectly comfortable in waters 2m deep. Most rivers do not get deeper than 10m, making them unsuitable for common dolphins to visit. However the impressive depth of the Tagus river with depths up to 60m, delivers enough depth for the common dolphins to visit while hunting schools of fish.
Only 2 of the sightings were in the usual area where we find them in our dolphin watching tours, close to the mouth of the river.
Two others were closer to the 25th of April bridge, one downriver and the other upriver from the bridge.
And on Sunday the last sighting was further upriver, inside the estuary, very close to the shore at Parque das Nações, the “New Lisbon” 25 km from the Sea. Impressive indeed but not close to a record, in 2010 this species were photographed 48 km upriver!!
The reasons why so many sightings condensed within a week remain unknown. Most likely numerous factors contributed to it, namely regular schools of fish entering the river probably for spawning, as feeding was the main activity seen in the videos.

Megaptera is already operating!

Good news for our research projects and for the explorers who want to join us in our expeditions. Our vessel is finally registered and already operating!
Our first guest tried our Pigafetta’s Note – Adrenaline Sailing pack. We participated in the Christmas regatta, where after a disastrous start we managed to recovered 7 places back!