Azores Whale & Dolphin Watching Research Holiday Faial

Details

The trips are guided by the leading Azores cetacean biologist, Lisa Steiner, who has spent the last 20 years researching and studying Azorean Cetaceans, and Lisa will be on board whenever you are at sea. You will watch the whales and dolphins in their natural environment, find out how individual animals are identified, and see scientific data being collected on the various species.  Your vessel for these trips is Physeter, a specially converted motor catamaran that provides shade from the sun, hot and cold drinks, toilet and full safety equipment. Her 4 tiered decks provide guests with a variety of excellent whale and dolphin watching view points.
Based at the port of Horta, Faial’s capital, the 5 or 9 night trips include 3 to 6 full days whale watching and researching, plus 1 or 2 days in port (depending on weather and sea conditions) for island exploring at your leisure. Your accommodation is at Hotel Horta, comfortable 4 star hotel with sea views, just 14 minutes walk from Horta marina. All rooms are ensuite and have views of Pico. All meals are included except for lunches and evening meals on shore days. You will normally have between 1 and 3 shore days depending on the duration of your trip and weather. All included meals are taken at local restaurants or on board Physeter.
Please note that the maximum group size is 12 but for groups less than 6 the boat may return to Horta for lunch, with a second trip in the afternoon.

Dates & Prices

All prices are per person (£) based on twin sharing but we can also quote for single supplements. Prices are inclusive of flights from the UK based on standard economy fares/seats which are subject to limited availability. Prices may increase based on availability when booking.
2011 Prices with flights via Lisbon
Accom.		May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep
Hotel Horta - 4 star 5 Nights	n/a	1130	1130/1180	1180	1180	1130	n/a
Hotel Horta - 4 star 9 Nights		1740	1740/1840	1840	1840	1740
Maximum group size: 12

Whale and Dolphin research trip dates for 2011
9 night trips	5 night trips
Sat 21 May to Mon 30 May 2011	Thu 16 Jun to Tue 21 Jun 2011
Thu 16 Jun to Sat 25 Jun 2011	Mon 20 Jun to Sat 25 Jun 2011
Mon 27 Jun to Wed 6 July 2011	Mon 27 Jun to Sat 2 Jul 2011
Fri 8 Jul to Sun 17 July 2011	Fri 1 Jul to Wed 6 Jul 2011
Tue 19 Jul to Thu 28 Jul 2011	Fri 8 Jul to Wed 13 Jul 2011
Sat 30 Jul to Mon 8 Aug 2011	Tue 12 Jul to Sun 17 Jul 2011
Fri 26 Aug to Sun 4 Sep 2011	Tue 19 Jul to Sun 24 Jul 2011
Tue 6 Sep to Thu 15 Sep 2011	Sat 23 Jul to Thu 28 Jul 2011
Sat 17 Sep to Mon 26 Sep 2011	Sat 30 Jul to Thu 4 Aug 2011
Wed 28 Sep to Fri 7 Oct 2011	Wed 3 Aug to Mon 8 Aug 2011

Price includes:
Accommodation on full board (except on shore days) sharing basis, airport transfers, slide show and talks, all boat costs, guide services, flights and airport taxes, pre-departure information booklet
Price excludes:
Meals as above, excursions on free days, travel insurance
Single Supplement:
£50 for 5 nights
£85 for 9 nights.

Useful Information

What to take:
Waterproof, plastic bag for your camera, sun block etc, polarising filter(suggested)
Minimum age:
4 years
Duration:
5 or 9 nights
Accommodation:
Casa do Lado (Horta)
Operates:
May to September
Boat type:
Fibreglass catamaran (12 seater)

Species

Commonly seen Whales:
Sperm and Pilot whales
Commonly seen Dolphins:
Bottlenose, Common, Spotted, Risso’s and Striped dolphins
Occasionally seen Whales:
Blue, Fin, Sei, Minke, Beaked (Cuvier’s, Sowerby’s, True’s and Bottlenose), Humpback, Pygmy Sperm, Orca and False killer whales
Occasionally seen Dolphins:
Rough Toothed dolphin

Whale Watching Regulations

The main regulations for whalewatching in the Azores are:

• Cetaceans should not be chased
• Boats should not exceed the animal’s speed by more than 2 knots and should keep at a constant speed
• Boats must move in parallel behind each other and at 60 degrees to the rear of the cetaceans
• Boats should avoid sudden changes of direction when approaching an animal
• Boats should maintain a parallel course slightly to the rear of the animals, maintaining an open field of 180 degrees in front of the animals
• Avoid making any noises which may disturb or attract the animals
• Boats should not approach any cetacean closer than 50m
• Boats should not drive through a group of animals separating them, especially isolating the calves from the adults
• No more than 3 boats may approach dolphins closer than 300m at one time and whales closer than 500m
• Observation should not exceed 30 minutes equally divided between all vessels
• Sailing boats may only approach under engine power
• The use of sonar is not allowed, even outside the observation area
• Do not feed the whales or dolphins
• Do not throw litter or other waste in the water

Swimming with the whales is not allowed