Journey with Oceano 11.10 2023
Of shearwater birds and pilotis
This time we had to wait a long time for a sighting, although the conditions were ideal, the sea was very calm and we could go in all directions.
The day before, they were lucky enough to encounter a large sperm whale twice, about 6 miles out.
Of course, we all hoped that these large animals would also honor us. I even spotted two, but we couldn't reach them.
There were sightings of orcas off El Hierro and that could be the reason why we didn't see any animals at first.
But they didn't want to send us home without any sightings. A large school of pilot whales with freshly hatched offspring did turn up and they barely let us say adios, reappearing and waving their flukes again and again. Some even jumped completely out of the water. They put on a big show to say goodbye.
There was one impressive shearwater that came very close to the boat, waiting for us to throw it a treat. My perception told me that this guy associated people with food, that he had been in human care for a while and therefore had no fear.
Even starting the engine left him cold. He later flew up and was then back with us.
I hope he will never be disappointed with his trust in us.
We were able to recover a large pufferfish dead. Apparently it had reached the e end of its cycle. It was huge.