Hello everyone! Great to be back aboard the Cap Finistere – well done to Tom for all the great sightings, hopefully I can do just as well!

Trip 22 – Portsmouth to Bilbao & Bilbao to Portsmouth

Up on deck early Saturday morning, the sea was calm – almost as calm as when I stepped off the ship 2 weeks ago. The weather however was decidedly gloomy, and became increasingly so with more and more rain.

All I managed to see in this was a single common dolphin – and I only had the briefest glimpse of it by the side of the ship before it disappeared. After an hour or so the rain finally let up, and I soon spied what looked very much like a lone pilot whale (although was probably at least 2) – unusual as they normally travel in family pods. Soon after a pod of dolphin passed us, being unusually undemonstrative, just rolling over at the surface. Judging by their size, I suspect they were bottlenose dolphin, but couldn’t get any good photos at that distance with the gloomy light conditions.

Not long after, another pod of pilot whales appeared, this time definitely at least 2 individuals.

After this I went to give our presentation and have a quick lunch, fingers crossed that the weather wouldn’t get any worse. Sadly, this didn’t work, not only did the rain return, but the odd white crest appeared in the waves too. To add insult to injury I also discovered that a Cuvier’s beaked whale had been breaching not far from the ship whilst I was below deck. The afternoon vigil yielded eerily quiet seas. Not really what I was expecting, but at least I had a few birds to keep me company – first a turtle dove, then a pair of the Hirundinidae family (a swallow, and a house martin darting around the ship).

I began to notice that if I squinted long enough at the house martin, it started to resemble a winged whale. It was at this point, with Bilbao port in sight that I decided it would be best to go below to wait for Sunday morning.

Although we cleared the clouds early in the morning, all I saw before we left the Bay was gannets, gulls and shearwaters.

As we entered the channel, thick clouds rolled back in reducing the visibility – so just seabirds there too.

Trip 23 – Portsmouth to Roscoff to Bilbao & Bilbao to Portsmouth

As we passed between the islands off Brittany, the sun was shining and not a breath of wind could be felt. To flat out contradict the weather, the sea was dotted with cresting waves – yet calm enough not to notice anything on the ship.

Despite watching the bay till the sun set, I could only spot the odd bird among so many crests. Disappointing, but hopefully a full day in the bay tomorrow will reveal better results.

I have woken up this morning to see banks of misty rain marching inland across Bilbao port. Hopefully the weather will improve when we enter the bay later…

So the wind has returned with a vengeance. It wasn’t until we finally cleared the clouds out into bright blue skies that I finally saw a whale, although hidden as it was by the swell, I wasn’t able to identify it (and the wind didn’t allow for any clear photos).

I soon switched sides to avoid the sun’s glare – although very little to be seen at first with the exception of rubbish sadly

Eventually, with a gannet to keep me company, I caught a glimpse of a large shark (probably a blue shark but difficult to be sure). Unfortunately, whereas my sunglasses allowed me to see the fantastic creature, my camera wasn’t quite so lucky (I have tried to outline the head which is barely visible in the photo).

Finally, just as I was about to go down for dinner a sunfish drifted past, lazily flapping its fins.

Trip 24 – Portsmouth to Santander & Santander to Portsmouth

The sea just off the Brittany coast was great around sunset. Although the swell was quite large, the surface was glassy smooth. Sadly no cetaceans around despite the fantastic weather, but the odd gannet as usual and two loud bangs announced the presence of fighter jets breaking the sound barrier – soon after the bang they roared across the bow of the ship flying low.

Up on deck early in the morning – after an unheard of absence – the common dolphin pods had finally returned (and I think the odd one or two striped dolphin too!). They could be seen leaping their way towards the ship, including one pod of at least a hundred individuals.

Eventually we entered a thick bank of fog not too far from the coast of Spain. With the dolphins gone (or at least not able to see them) I headed below decks to wait until we got to Santander.

Leaving Santander, we passed back through the fog, still not burned away by the late afternoon sun. Unfortunately on the other side the weather had deteriorated slightly, with several white cresting waves beginning to appear – although still calm waters. After a while I caught a glimpse of a shark on the right hand side of the ship, quickly turning away from us as we cruised past. Again, sadly my camera could not penetrate the water as well as my sunglasses.

Speaking to some of the passengers there had obviously been a few common dolphin I had missed from the other side of the ship. I switched to this side for a while to warm up in the setting sun. Just as I was about to give up for the day, waving and pointing from the guys on the bridge sent me running back to the starboard side of the ship. It was clear enough where they were pointing to, but quite what it was I am a little unsure. Off towards the horizon a patch of water was teeming with splashes – including what looked like whale blows. After peering through my binoculars and studying the photos I took, my best guess is one or more likely two whales, surrounded by a pod of dolphin. Regardless of the difficulty in identification, a fantastic end to a great day.

And that’s all from me till next week!

Zak

Trip 20: Portsmouth – Bilbao & Bilbao – Portsmouth

What a fantastic sunset in the English Channel. The sun sank below the horizon, leaving the blue sky broken by streaks of thin cloud stained golden orange, with pale pinks and purples, as this part of the Earth rotated away from the sun, and we sailed into the darkness of the night.

Sea state stayed pretty much around 4 / 5 throughout the day in the Bay, but we still managed to spot two pairs of Beaked Whales (unfortunately no photos!) as well as a pod of around 20 Common Dolphin.

A Grey Wagtail, with its bright yellow underside, joined the ship and stayed with us for around 4 hours before we got into Bilbao, providing some nice background noise with its sweet tinny call.

As we crossed the Channel a Fulmar, a close relative of the Albatross, took off next to the ship. They have large tubular nostrils on their bills, used for excreting excess salt from the saltwater they drink.

Trip 21: Portsmouth – Roscoff – Bilbao & Bilbao – Portsmouth

The majority of the day was spent around the Brittany coast and in the north of the Bay, where plenty of Sunfish were swimming at the surface.

After a day filled with loads of Sunfish sightings, the sun set over the Bay.

The next morning we were in Bilbao. Always a good place to be – it means we get to be spending the majority of the day, in the best part of the Bay. And yes, you’ve guessed it – lots of Dolphins!

And a pod of what I thought to be Common dolphins, turned out, on closer inspection, to be a mix of Common AND Striped Dolphins. Awesome.

Another successful day in the Bay, despite some high winds and a fair swell making it a little bit more difficult. Got to love a good bit of sea spray in the face!

Trip 22: Portsmouth – Santander & Santander – Portsmouth

Sea conditions remained pretty tough for whale watching throughout the Bay, but for those that braved the high winds, their efforts certainly paid off! Lots of Dolphins on this trip, from small pods of four…

To much larger pods, probably in their 20’s ! Here are six of another pod, note the juvenile at the back!

The Dolphins never cease to amaze me, great to see, especially as reliably as we have been! Superb stuff in the past two weeks, fingers crossed for Zak as he takes over for the next two weeks – hopefully he will get some more cracking sightings, bringing you the latest and greatest from the Bay of Biscay!

Until next time,

Tom

Great job Zak! Loving the Blue Shark sighting – one of my favourite all-time animals! Lets hope you get some better weather on your next trips! I struggled with sharp Dolphin photos as well… not easy!

 

Trip 17: Portsmouth – Bilbao & Bilbao – Portsmouth

The rain on the trip to Bilbao made sightings a bit difficult.

But we still managed to see plenty of amazing sightings, including Common and Striped Dolphins, and a Fin Whale! The rain definitely doesn’t put these guys off!

The clouds began to break as we arrived into Bilbao.

Then the sun set amongst a few patchy clouds on the horizon.

The next morning, we got some very close encounters with some Gannets. The incredibly large birds gliding alongside the ship in what was a very sunny and calm day in the Channel.

 

Trip 18: Portsmouth – Roscoff – Bilbao & Bilbao – Portsmouth

Travelling through the islands and rocky outcrops along the Brittany Coast makes for a very interesting journey down from Roscoff to Bilbao.

Excitingly, a large pod of Striped Dolphins, exhibiting quite typical travelling behaviour, kept low with some individuals jumping and leaping up to seven metres in height from the sea!

And then, a huge Whale blew right next to the ship! I caught its dorsal fin as it rolled back down…

Many pods of Common Dolphins approached the ship, which, rather interestingly, are thought to hold the record for the most teeth of any mammal (over 250!).

And then, one of my favourite birds, a Kestrel, joined the ship out of the heavy mist!

Incredibly, the Kestrel decided to take a rest on one of the lifeboats.

I then realised that this was the exact lifeboat outside of my cabins window! Brilliant!!

Great end to a great trip!

Trip 19: Portsmouth – Santander & Santander – Portsmouth

Wonderful weather onboard Cap Fin this morning!

Dolphins, dolphins and more dolphins!!! The number of Common dolphins seen in the morning into Santander must have easily exceeded 100 individuals in total, maybe nearer to 200 by the time we had got into Port. First thing, a pod passed the ship in the near golden sunlight of the morning.

The sea was wonderfully calm, and anything that moved could be seen pretty much instantly. The sun was shining, and the winds were warm, which meant everyone could enjoy the wonders of these magnificent animals – no excuses !

 

Then we pulled into Santander, the flat seas lapping against the awesome rocky coastline of North Spain, with the snow-topped Pecos Mountains behind them. What a wonderful entrance.

Buenos Dias!

Leaving Spain, there seemed to be a few Sunfish, or Mola Mola (the heaviest bony fish on the planet!), basking at the surface, potentially inviting gulls to peck and remove parasites from their bodies.

The sea was stained bright red, where clouds of what could be plankton blooms streaked across the sea.

A few of us did manage to see a whale, most likely a Sperm Whale, as well as another 50 odd Common Dolphins and a small pod of Striped Dolphins. The Commons were everywhere!

 

What a great week of sightings in the Bay! There were lots of happy passengers as well. It was tough choosing which photos to include without going over the top!

Until next time…

Good night!

Tom

Trip 15 – Portsmouth to Santander & Santander to Portsmouth

An uneventful journey across the channel, sunset off the Brittany coast and an
early breakfast found me up on the starboard deck hiding from the sunrise’s
glare. Within minutes we were approached by pod after pod of dolphin; some
common dolphin, others striped dolphin. This kept up for around an hour – each
pod aiming straight for the bow, with varying degrees of accuracy. Playing in the
waves just beneath our feet, I was torn between getting the best photo and
falling in. In the end I opted to stay dry – sorry about the fuzzy photos (first is a
common dolphin, second, three striped dolphin)!

With more and more clouds lurking around Santander, I was slightly anxious
about the return journey – I could even see rain up in the hills. There was no
need to worry though, as despite the hazy sunshine through the clouds, the Bay
was as flat as a pancake with nothing but the wind causing tiny ripples. I soon
saw a sunfish (I got a photo this time!) and many common dolphin pods.

The common dolphin pods continued to appear and approach the ship right up
until sunset. Around mid-afternoon there was a brief flurry of activity, with
whale blows sighted on the opposite side of the ship to me and almost at the
same time I glimpsed the dark back of a small-medium sized whale. Sadly not
enough time to get any photos/better identification though. The one other whale
sighting we had was just after dinner, again a small-medium sized whale (I
suspect a beaked or bottlenose whale) breaching in the distance – launching
itself well out of the water.

And that’s all from me for the next two weeks – hopefully Tom can bring you
some clearer photos than mine, especially if the weather remains like this!

Trip 12 – Portsmouth to Roscoff to Bilbao & Bilbao to Portsmouth

Hello all! We left Roscoff in the morning (we crossed the channel overnight), under gloomy clouds. In the bay, the weather only got worse. I ventured up top into the howling wind and walls of spray with car alarms drifting up from the lower decks several times to see whether I could catch a glimpse of anything. Alas, all I got was photos of waves and spray on my camera lens.

Amazingly the odd gannet and this skua could be seen bravely soaring between the great crests, before disappearing behind the spray.

After our weather delayed entry into Bilbao this morning I am now waiting to see whether our departure will bring us a better journey back across the bay!

Disappointingly, although the sun broke through for most of our journey back across the bay, the sea did not let up much. With the outside decks closed, I peered out from spray spattered windows and the open back deck of the ship, but to no avail. Fingers crossed for next time!

Trip 13 – Portsmouth to Bilbao & Bilbao to Portsmouth

Leaving Portsmouth late afternoon on Saturday, the weather was sunny and the sea almost flat. After spying the odd bird across the channel I went back to my cabin hoping the weather would hold for tomorrow’s journey across the bay.

I woke early and made my way up onto the top deck. To my delight the weather was still sunny (just) and only small glassy waves lapped against the ship. It was not long before I saw a number of white specks with splashes and dark shapes intermingled – just as one lucky person walked out onto the deck.

The white specks turned out to be gannets and the splashes a pod of common dolphin (I counted around 20) – both presumably feeding on a shoal of fish. For once I was able to get photos too!

And even a mother and calf!

As the day wore on, the clouds began to thicken above me. With increasing rain, all I could spy during the rest of the trip was the odd dolphin and a few birds (including the turtle dove and house martin below), even with the keen eyes of a bird researcher heading on to investigate non-native species in Portugal who braved the rain with me. With chatter about a storm headed for the bay for our journey back I hope that Sunday morning will bring better news than that.

So apparently nobody told the weather (or the whales) that it’s my birthday. I went up on deck early to watch the seas, but all I saw as the howling wind and rain shot along the ship was a single seagull. The sea is still calmer than it has been but plenty of white crests around to hide any well-wishing cetaceans.

Edit: The sea got worse. As did the rain

Trip 14 – Portsmouth to Roscoff to Bilbao & Bilbao to Portsmouth

After a rough night across the channel (or so I’m told – I slept right through it!) the weather seemed a lot better as we left Roscoff in the morning, with the sun sometimes breaking through the patchy clouds. However, what I didn’t account for was the wind. After the railings thankfully saved my hat from being lost to the big blue, I replaced it more carefully and returned to watching the seas – huddling behind the bridge to try to avoid the chilling wind. Despite spending every daylight hour that we were in the Bay up on deck, gannets, oystercatchers shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus!) and the odd skua were all I managed to see. Apparently even with the calmer weather there are still too many white crests out there distracting my attention from the real thing. As we forged on ahead into thick grey clouds around sunset (well what would have been sunset if we could see it…) I gave up and waited to see what Tuesday morning brought.

Sunshine! I woke to bright blue skies with streaks of thin white clouds flowing across the sky. Judging from the gulls soaring around Bilbao’s port the wind hasn’t died down – but certainly a more promising start for our journey across the best part of the Bay!

I spent as long as possible up on deck whilst leaving Bilbao. Even the wind died down a little as we got out into the Bay, although all I managed to see was an unidentified err… thing? My best guess would be a squid of sorts or perhaps a baby sunfish – unfortunately I only caught a brief glimpse of it before it was lost in the wake. I then forced myself below decks to give our presentation.

Wolfing down a quick lunch, I headed back up onto the starboard deck giddy with excitement about the fantastic weather. I was soon joined by two bikers who I am thankful to for many reasons – particularly their polarised sunglasses, sharp eyes and witty banter (I will try my very hardest to get your ‘spotter’ badges out to you…). My excitement was well placed: we soon saw at least three small pods of common dolphin interspersed with the occasional blue shark!

Despite the sun, the wind was still chilly, so one by one those of us on deck switched across to the port side to shelter from the wind. I was the last to do this and frustratingly it turned out I should have switched earlier as when I reached the other side they had already seen another pod of dolphin and a sunfish right next to the ship. Thankfully another sunfish soon appeared although it disappeared into the wake before I was able to get a photo.

Not too long after that (but after yet another dolphin pod if I remember rightly) I finally saw what I have spent two weeks trying to see past all the waves – whale spouts! Several strong tall plumes in the distance suggested one or two fin whales. Just a few minutes later more spouts appeared just a little behind the ship – we counted three individuals but not sure what species, certainly one of the baleen whales though, possibly minke.

I was then left on my own out on deck while people went off to find hot drinks. Soon, yet again, there were whales on the horizon. The same group (possibly 2-3 minke whales) popped up twice what I thought was fairly close to the ship. It turns out that another whale popped up even closer to the other side of the ship in front of those who had gone off to get hot drinks.

We then passed several cetacean groups in quick succession (I guess we must have been passing over the continental shelf around this time). First of which was a small pod of bottlenose dolphin who surfaced briefly before disappearing away from the ship. Next was a group of around 5-6 pilot whales (1st photo), followed shortly after by another group of 2-3 medium sized whales (2nd photo), although I didn’t get a good enough look to identify them.

Finally as we entered shallower waters (and the hot drink group returned), the last cetaceans we saw were a large pod of what I think were bottlenose dolphins, but the sun made identification difficult. Leaping about and probably corralling fish as we passed they move in a very different way to common dolphin (well done to one of the bikers for getting what looked like very good video/photos on his phone camera!).

After a quick dinner, I went back up on deck but only spotted the odd fish before sunset. Hopefully, with the weather set to remain good for my next and last trip before Tom takes over again, I will get better pictures. Between the wind, slight swell and excitement the pictures from today are rather more blurred than I’d expected!

That’s all from me for now, just one last update to come until Tom takes over again on Friday!

Before I begin, I would just like to congratulate and welcome Zak to the team, and onboard! Zak will be the wildlife officer onboard Cap Finistere for the next two weeks as I depart for home after a great three and a half weeks on board!

Trip 7: Portsmouth – Santander & Santander – Portsmouth

Great to see a pod of Common Dolphins ride the wake of the ship for a few minutes before we arrived into Santander, where a few Common Terns were fishing in the Port.

A Black Kite, a slightly duller version of the Red Kite we get back home in the UK, soared over the dunes as we left the port…

 

A few hours into the bay and things really went crazy, in a good way! My first Fin Whales of the season blew in the distance…

 

The blow of a Sperm Whale was also spotted, as well as a nice pod of Common Dolphins as well!

 

Trip 8: Portsmouth – Bilbao & Bilbao – Portsmouth

As the ship pulled out of Portsmouth, the sea was at its calmest yet. Perfect for spotting the UK’s smallest and most common cetacean, the Harbour Porpoise. And would you believe it, two popped up right outside the window at the back of the ship!! Awesome! (I had missed them by the time I had my camera).

 

By the time the sun had risen the next day, we were well into the bay, where, once again, things got really wild! Another mighty Fin Whale, the second largest animal on the planet!

 

Followed by some wonderfully charismatic Common Dolphins…

 

Followed by a spectacular performance from, what looks like, a type of Beaked Whale, as it leapt from the surface, clearing its entire body, before crashing back down into the sea quite far off into the distance three or four times! (The pictures are heavy crops!)

 

 

 

After this excitement, we had a pod of Striped Dolphins pass the ship; the passengers today really did get lucky!

And to satisfy the birders on board, a Whimbrel passed the ship, probably as it migrates from Africa, along our coasts Northwards, to Northern Europe to breed for the summer!

 

All in all, probably the best day whale watching so far!!

Trip 9: Portsmouth – Roscoff – Bilbao & Bilbao – Portsmouth

Tough sea conditions made the experience difficult as we headed past Brittany and into the Bay. But the dedication paid off, as the largest pod of Common Dolphins so far, probably up to 40 individuals, literally popped up everywhere! I didn’t know where to look! Check out the little calf in the middle here, cute or what!

 

And another shot of some Common Dolphins, one day I will get a photo to do these guys justice! Awesome animals that can swim at speeds of up to 30mph!

 

Another good trip at sea, despite some wet and windy conditions!

Trip 10: Portsmouth – Santander & Santander – Portsmouth

Welcome aboard Zak! Unfortunately the weather was not ideal, but we coped well and managed to spot a pod of Common Dolphins.

Plus, there were more Terns in the port of Santander…

 

And a wonderful Gannet to finish my last trip on board for two weeks!

Good luck Zak, fingers crossed for lots more exciting spots!! See you in two weeks time!

Trip 11 – Portsmouth to Bilbao & Bilbao to Portsmouth

Hello everyone!

My name is Zak and I’ve just started my turn as wildlife officer here aboard the Cap Finistere. First of all, thanks to both Sophie and Tom for bringing me up to speed with everything. The weather for the trip out to Bilbao was pleasantly sunny – but still a little tricky for whale-watching. With rumours abound of 10 foot squid and driftwood sea-monsters from the starboard side of the ship; I spent my Saturday on the port side – from which we saw several pods of short-beaked common dolphin breaching right next to the ship, and an unidentified whale off towards the horizon. Unfortunately I didn’t get any photos!

With the clouds closing in as we reached Bilbao, by the time we left port and got back out into the bay it was too dark to see anything, so I settled in to wait for Sunday morning. Up early and full of hope, I went up on deck to be greeted by sunrise and the howling wind, but very little else.

As time passed, the odd gannet drifted past but still no cetaceans. Just as I was losing hope and we were leaving the bay, a flock of hovering gannets appeared in front of us. As we passed, a pod of at least 10 common dolphins came to greet the ship – probably feeding on a school of fish below the gannets. Sadly due to wind, waves and weather, this was the best shot I could get:

Several flocks of gannets continued to follow the ship with a skua and two of the Alcidae family (Either auks, puffins, guillemots or razorbills – unfortunately they were too far off for me to be sure which) appearing just as we passed between Brittany and the islands offshore.

Almost to reward me for my patience a rainbow appeared too – although if anyone is wondering what’s actually at the end of the rainbow: turns out its rain.

Later on in the English Channel, the weather on deck was fantastic – warm sun and just a gentle breeze in the lee of the wind. The sea however, was not so calm with white crests everywhere.

So no cetaceans, but plenty of birdlife with the usual host of gannets but also another skua circling a fishing boat, and another couple of Alcidae (again too far out to identify).

That’s all from me for now – but I look forward to bringing you some better photos from the next trip!

Zak

Trip 4: Portsmouth – Santander & Santander – Portsmouth

Starting off in the channel, we wouldn’t be into the bay until late evening. There were some really nice looking rain clouds on the horizon…

Early start and I was up on deck, where I was joined by a dedicated bunch, a couple of lads from Sheffield University, that didn’t mind getting a bit wet in the mean-time. No whales, but after about 10 minutes our first Common Dolphin popped up next to the ship. Followed by a pod that approached from far off. Then another pod joined the ship, followed by more coming from the horizon. Both adult and juvenile Common Dolphins. Totally awesome! Great to see some young dolphins as well, about half the size of the adults which can grow up to about two and a half metres. In total, we must have had at least 40 Common Dolphins around the ship. Making it all worthwhile!

The seas were very choppy on the return journey, making it a lot more difficult to spot Cetaceans. But, nevertheless, a few passengers stuck it out in the strong and wet winds and managed to spot a few Common Dolphins porpoising from the waves.

A pair of Robins had joined the ship for the journey to Santander, and as we crossed into the channel heading back for Portsmouth, a Great Skua passed the ship, a huge predatory bird that will steal fish from Gannets and even kill smaller gulls, like the Kittiwake.

Trip 5: Portsmouth – Bilbao & Bilbao – Portsmouth:

Waking in the middle of the Bay, the sun was shining and the wind had died, but a heavy mist on the horizon remained. Two pods of dolphins were sighted. The first were too distant to be indentified, the second pod was of Common Dolphins, of around four to six individuals.

By daybreak the ship was passing Brittany, and heading into the Channel. No cetaceans today, but a good show from some diving Gannets in the distance. These large sea birds can hit the water at up to 60mph, and dive at least 10 metres.

Lots of plastics, old ropes and rubbish in our seas though… not good!

Trip 6: Portsmouth – Roscoff – Bilbao & Bilbao – Portsmouth:

The sea was its roughest so far, and the wind and rain made it spotting whales and dolphins challenging, but on the return trip, patches of sun broke through, as the ship seemed to manage to bypass all the heavy showers. As a result of the sun and rain, plenty of rainbows scattered the horizon.

Fingers crossed for some better weather and some more great cetacean sightings! Bye for now!

Trip 1: Portsmouth – Bilbao & Bilbao – Portsmouth:

Hello all! My name is Tom, and I am the new Wildlife Officer on board Brittany Ferries Cap Finistere! Before I get underway, I have to thank Mike and Sophie for all their great help, they were good company to kick start the trips! The return journey to Bilbao was a fairly good one in terms of cetaceans. In total we saw around 40 Common Dolphins, 10 Striped Dolphins, a Beaked Whale and a potential Pilot Whale. Below is my first attempt to photograph a Common Dolphin… (you can just make out its distinctive yellow/tan flank)…

Despite not many cetaceans knocking about, there were plenty of Gannets keeping us company

Trip 2: Portsmouth – Roscoff – Santander & Santander – Portsmouth:

After Mike and Sophie had disembarked, the ship set sail for Roscoff overnight. We left Roscoff around 10:00, and conditions were pretty much ideal for whale watching! Despite this, and the fact that I was on deck for around six hours, the only sighting was of a single, lone Common Dolphin.

We were joined on deck by a thrush, which fluttered around for a while, and for you birders out there, a Wheatear, a migratory species that moves north from Africa for the summer, that tagged along for a few hours as well.

We arrived in Santander very early morning, before the sun had risen. By the time we left port it was heading on for 17:00. This gave me enough time to grab some dinner and get out on deck before the sunset. The effort paid off, as six Striped Dolphins popped up next to the ship, and were breaching around in the bow waves for a while, and just as the sun was doing this…

… two Beaked Whales surfaced right next to the ship before swimming off into the sunset.

Trip 3: Portsmouth – Roscoff – Bilbao & Bilbao – Portsmouth:

We arrived into Roscoff early morning, and had left by 10:00. I hoped that we would have enough time to get a good stretch into the Bay before sundown. But the ship broke down. Luckily, while we floated about 100km from land, a pod of around six Common Dolphins joined us, keeping everyone entertained!

No sightings for the rest of the day L fingers crossed for tomorrow! Oh, we did catch a glimpse of an eel at the surface! Very Peculiar!

A great start to the afternoon as we left Bilbao. The wind was strong, but it didn’t put people off. Within the first 10 minutes of being up on deck we saw this…

And we also had a few pods of around six Common Dolphins charging and breaching in the bow waves.

Here’s to another week of great sightings!

Well I have stepped off the Cap Finistere for the last time as one of ORCAs resident Whale and Dolphin officers. Although it saddens me to not be returning to the Bay of Biscay or to the many wonderful people I have met on board, I take with me a host of fantastic memories of a great summer at sea.

With us coming toward the end of the season I was possibly expecting there to be less to see during my last week on board with Ivo, but no, the Bay of Biscay was as active as ever. I have seen many wonderful sightings on each of my weeks aboard and this was no exception.

On Saturday as we traveled to Bilbao our day started off with seeing small groups of Fin Whales as well as Common Dolphins. But the highlight of the day was seeing two Cuvier’s Beaked Whales breaching fully out the water and sighting a very distant Sperm Whale blow.

On Tuesday as we sailed out of Bilbao we spotted more Cuvier’s Beaked Whales, a small group of pilot whales and I was treated to my best ever sighting of a Fin Whale. This 20m plus behemoth of a whale surfaced only around 50m from the ship which combined with the good light quality allowed me to get a really good look at the entire animal.

Fin Whale taken by Elfyn Pugh

When Thursday came around and my last day of whale watching in the Bay of Biscay I found myself a little melancholy. This lasted about five minutes until the first Fin Whales were spotted other treats of the day included a large pod of around 70 striped dolphins and a small pod of Pilot Whales.

Well before I sign off for the last time I’ll just take the time to say a couple of things. Firstly that I’m very jealous of Mike and Ivo’s fantastic sighting of a Leatherback Turtle earlier this week and wish I could have been there to see it. Secondly a very big thank you to all of the crew of the Cap Finistere for making us all very welcome and also to the thousands of passengers who have attended our on board lectures and got up on deck to spot some whales and dolphins, you make our work at ORCA possible. 

Nathan