Flying fish have a choice

by Heike Pahlow

Text and photos: Mario and Heike (firmm webmasters)

At the end of September, we finally managed to spend some days with firmm in Tarifa once again. Unfortunately, the Levante was blowing right at the same time, so that we could not go whale watching in the Strait of Gibraltar. However, one firmm boat was lying in Algeciras where the wind was not that strong. So, despite everything, we had some great encounters with common and striped dolphins.

On our last day we could even watch common dolphins and shearwaters hunting flying fish - what a show! Below the surface the dolphins were chasing the fish, which tried to escape by leaping out of the water and flying 20 to 40 metres through the air. Above the water, however, shearwaters and gulls were already waiting. Katharina commented on this accordingly:

„The flying fish can choose whether they prefer to be eaten by dolphins or birds.“

Bad for the fish, but for us this was an unforgettable spectacle!

Here are some photos from our trips:

common dolphin
common dolphins

striped and common dolphin
striped and common dolphin

flying fish
flying fish

shearwater trying to catch a flying fish
shearwater trying to catch a flying fish

two flying fishes
two flying fishes

two shearwaters quarrelling over the fish
two shearwaters quarrelling over the fish

the whole place is teeming with birds and dolphins
the whole place is teeming with birds and dolphins

dolphin and shearwater running a race
dolphin and shearwater running a race

rock of Gibraltar
rock of Gibraltar

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