FIN-TASTIC fortnight!!

After a quiet start to the week where we only saw a couple of Bottlenose Dolphins we started to lose a little bit of hope. But, on Thursday morning, shortly before 7 am we saw the beautiful sight of a Fin Whale, the second largest animal on the planet at a huge 28 metres. Soon after that we had two more Fin whale sightings, including a mother and her calf. A fantastic way to start the day!

But it didn’t stop there. All throughout the day we were treated to amazing displays, both from Common Dolphins and Cuvier’s Beaked Whales. It’s safe to say we were not the only excited ones. Passengers gathered round as we spotted several dolphins and whales in the distance. Some passengers were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of some Common Dolphins just before they dived under the ship. A great day for everyone, to say the least.

The excitement didn’t stop there, dear readers – oh no! Just before it got too dark to see we were over the moon to look down to see a Fin Whales a mere 200 metres off the boat. 200 metres! Just incredible! As we sailed on past we looked back to see a final magnificent blow as he sunk below the surface.

However, it’s not all happy stories on the Bay of Biscay. Moments after our Fin Whale encounter we spotted something else. ‘Another whale?’ we thought excitedly. Unfortunately, no. Although he was a whale, he was no more. As we looked on and investigated our photos we soon realised the sad truth behind our sighting. Upon close inspection we could see a cheeky gull had already made his claim on the poor whale before he disappeared beneath the waves. That gull helped us to identify that this was in fact a Beaked Whale. And so is the circle of life.

But never fear! The day ended exactly how it started, with some lovely Common Dolphins frolicking in the waves. It’s safe to say, despite our unfortunate find, we were truly spoilt. It was utterly fin-tastic.

 

Later in the week, the sea was mirror calm. This enabled us to see several pods of Bottlenose Dolphins leisurely swimming past us with their calves in tow. Upon leaving Spain we were in luck once again, and spotted a pod of six Long-Finned Pilot Whales. We’ve had an absolutely cracking time on board the Cap Finisteré, and we can’t wait to get back on board in a fortnight’s time!

Until next time!