Whale watching and swimming with dolphins on Faial
Are you ready for an excursion on the open ocean to watch dolphins or whales? The agency Naturalist offers an unforgettable experience - almost no matter what season. For whale and dolphin enthusiasts, the Azores are a "must". Throughout the year there are over 25 different species of marine mammals in the waters around the Azores islands. Despite the sharp eyes of the staff, who search the ocean for whales and dolphins (from the land and with binoculars), every trip to the ocean requires a bit of luck. Enjoy an interesting and entertaining tour; learn more about dolphins, whales, turtles, birds and fish that pop up next to the boat. Don’t worry; excursions without a sighting are extremely rare. The biologists and scientific tour guides not only take care of your safety and well-being on board, but will also inspire you with incredible facts.
Swimming with wild dolphins: happy faces, laughter, enthusiasm and even tears of happiness are effects, that the encounter with wild dolphins in the ocean might have. Of course, the animals are not lured with food, and they are also not rewarded for coming to us. Nevertheless, they usually seek the company of boats and often approach the snorkelers in the water. Strict guidelines not only protect the animals but also the guests. Despite all the enthusiasm, all guests must be aware that they’ll meet large and powerful animals in the water; accordingly everyone should behave as a guest, polite and careful. "Respect" is the keyword. The animals react accordingly. Intrusiveness and aggressive approach scare them away. The biologists inform you in advance about the course of the tour and how to behave properly. Of course, you’ll be guided by our staff during the tour and never lose sight of them, so that you can feel safe at all times and enjoy the wonderful encounter with the intelligent animals. Masks, snorkels and swimsuits will be provided on each tour (free of charge). Eye to eye with wild dolphins is one of the most memorable things to experience. All dolphin species can be spotted, including the bottlenose dolphin, the round-headed dolphin, the common dolphin and also the reef dolphin.
The performing agency Naturalist has made it their task to improve the experience of the guests constantly, to make tourism more accessible and sustainable. It ranges from recognizing individual species and natural phenomena to new products and concepts that enable closer contact with nature. The agency is a start-up company founded by the University of Ponta Delgada and the University of Lisbon. The scientists involved were trained in those two universities. Naturalist is the only agency in Portugal that is run by scientists and uses the wide field of tourism as a platform for their own research. In 2016, the company won a prize as Portugal's best tourism start-up. Naturalist state: "The sustainability of whale watching depends on the conservation of whales, which is ensured by the combination of scientific research and appropriate legislation and supervision."
Whale watching: it’s recommendable to bring sunscreen, headgear, warm clothes (temperatures change quickly and it is very windy on the boats) and a camera for the excursion
Swimming with dolphins: it’s recommendable to bring water, clothes to change, sunscreen, headgear, bathing suit / swimming trunks and a camera for the excursion
Excursions NOT in July and August (detailed explanation on request)
Swimming with wild dolphins: happy faces, laughter, enthusiasm and even tears of happiness are effects, that the encounter with wild dolphins in the ocean might have. Of course, the animals are not lured with food, and they are also not rewarded for coming to us. Nevertheless, they usually seek the company of boats and often approach the snorkelers in the water. Strict guidelines not only protect the animals but also the guests. Despite all the enthusiasm, all guests must be aware that they’ll meet large and powerful animals in the water; accordingly everyone should behave as a guest, polite and careful. "Respect" is the keyword. The animals react accordingly. Intrusiveness and aggressive approach scare them away. The biologists inform you in advance about the course of the tour and how to behave properly. Of course, you’ll be guided by our staff during the tour and never lose sight of them, so that you can feel safe at all times and enjoy the wonderful encounter with the intelligent animals. Masks, snorkels and swimsuits will be provided on each tour (free of charge). Eye to eye with wild dolphins is one of the most memorable things to experience. All dolphin species can be spotted, including the bottlenose dolphin, the round-headed dolphin, the common dolphin and also the reef dolphin.
The performing agency Naturalist has made it their task to improve the experience of the guests constantly, to make tourism more accessible and sustainable. It ranges from recognizing individual species and natural phenomena to new products and concepts that enable closer contact with nature. The agency is a start-up company founded by the University of Ponta Delgada and the University of Lisbon. The scientists involved were trained in those two universities. Naturalist is the only agency in Portugal that is run by scientists and uses the wide field of tourism as a platform for their own research. In 2016, the company won a prize as Portugal's best tourism start-up. Naturalist state: "The sustainability of whale watching depends on the conservation of whales, which is ensured by the combination of scientific research and appropriate legislation and supervision."
Whale watching: it’s recommendable to bring sunscreen, headgear, warm clothes (temperatures change quickly and it is very windy on the boats) and a camera for the excursion
Swimming with dolphins: it’s recommendable to bring water, clothes to change, sunscreen, headgear, bathing suit / swimming trunks and a camera for the excursion
Excursions NOT in July and August (detailed explanation on request)
