What a spectacle of the common dolphins!

by firmm Team

Text: Marion Wagner, Fotos: firmm

On the 24th of September 2018 we had once again Levante, very strong east wind, one of the normal challenges here in Tarifa in the Strait of Gibraltar and there were definitely no trips possible to see the whales and dolphins. So Katharina Heyer, the "Grande Dame" of the foundation firmm, decided to try it in the Bay of Algeciras in front of the big rock of Gibraltar. With full success!

We were hardly 10 minutes out in the bay with our bigger boat, the "Vision", when already many common dolphins approached us. There were many young animals in between, curiously surrounding our boat together with the "grown-ups". They jumped high into the air, turned playfully in the water and showed us their beautiful coloration on their bodies! Like glowing hourglasses lying in the water, with their white shimmering bellies they gleamed towards us, very close to the boat. To our surprise they became more and more! The little dolphins were everywhere, all around us, in the distance and directly around our boat and even underneath it again and again.

There were at least 500 animals gathered around us, and they provided us with the great gift of letting us participate a little in their lives. What a spectacle under special conditions! In the background the clearly visible large rock of Gibraltar, the almost perfect absence of wind in the bay and the calm water, provided the perfect stage to dive for one and a half hours into this very special experience which felt almost timeless. The "Studis" of this week were very enthusiastic and grateful for this unique experience and I can only agree with them; as such a large number of common dolphins is not to be found off Tarifa.

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