Location: Azores
Bleary-eyed in the pre-dawn light, you would have found some of Velas crew huddled around takeaway cups of coffee outside a local dive center. Today was an early start for some of the crew who opted for a days snorkel excursion through a dive shop to the Princess Alice seamount. The Azores have long been a waypoint for mariners crossing the Atlantic, and the dramatic depth change from the Atlantic seabed thousands of feet below to the island chain also makes this location a key focal point for traveling marine life.
After equipment checks and a briefing, Emma, Nora, Charlie, and Ara grabbed seats at the very front of the rib-style boat. With twin 175hp engines, she is powerful and fast and perfect for taking us 50 nautical miles out to sea. Staff members Dan and Michelle were also on board, using their precious day off for a two-tank dive trip. Everyone woke up quickly when dolphins joined us for some bow riding, which was soon after leaving the harbor. Dolphins leaping playfully next to the boat set the perfect tone for the rest of the day, and it wasnt long before we came across a fast-moving bait ball. Shearwaters and gulls dived down in a feeding frenzy while dolphins leaped out of the water amid crowds of noisy birds to get their share of the feast. After two and a half hours, we arrived at Princess Alice Seamount. This is a world-renowned dive and snorkel location rising to just 100 feet below the surface. Its especially famous as a gathering place for Sicklefin Devil Rays (also known as Chilean Devil Rays). These huge, pelagic rays have a wingspan of up to three meters across and gather in large groups. Theyre curious animals and will come right up to the surface, allowing snorkelers to see them up close.
Both snorkelers and divers had an awesome time with multiple close encounters with the rays. We saw groups of up to 14 at a time with pregnant females, as well as courtship and mating behavior! We settled down for the return journey, which took much longer than usual, thanks to the skilled boat crew spotting all kinds of things for us. The first sighting was yet another pod of dolphins, with which we were allowed to enter the water and snorkel. Unexpectedly, the usually curious dolphins dispersed almost immediately, a mystery that was soon cleared up when a blue shark appeared to check us out. It was a beautiful, sleek shark with big pilot fish patrolling the waters with it. (To allay any fears, blue sharks are one of the 500+ species of shark that pose no threat to humans!)
As we continued homeward, we also came across a sei whale, a false killer whale, and yet more dolphins. Within sight of Horta, we stopped to admire a particularly large pod of Atlantic-spotted dolphins, and suddenly, an unusually large dolphin surfaced in the center. A tall spray from its blowhole drew everyones attention to the sperm whale. As the dolphins moved off, the whale rested and regularly blew on the surface, and we stayed a safe distance away so as not to disturb her. Eventually, she took a couple of huge breaths and then gracefully arced below the water, showing off her fluke (tail) as she did so. The footage we got of the fluke allowed a marine scientist to identify this individual as Nikki, a yearly whale visitor to the Azores.
The remaining crew completed their navmaster exams today after lots of study sessions with Mac. After yet another gelato break ashore, the Vela crew split into two groups for night diving. Group one went for an awesome night dive with Shelby and Mac, reporting lots of eel sightings, while group two will have to wait in suspense until they dive with Dan and Michelle tomorrow night.