ESPAÇO TALASSA, the original whale watching in the Azores

31/10/2024

And that's it! 2024 season is over, it was a great season full with amazing memories for our guests and for us.
We in the picture, are the crew that finished the season, but theres many more colleagues that usually are not in the pictures but are so important as we are.
For the ones that show the face and for one's that don't, THANK YOU so much! We promise to be back next season with renewed energy to keep delivering smiles and good memories. 💙

25/10/2024

Since we've been searching old files, we've found very interesting finds. This time it's a Pseudorca that visits us since at least 2012, we have records of this individual in 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2024. Most likely it has been around every year and way before 2012.

23/10/2024

Always a delight to see this beauties, the false killer whales are the best!!

21/10/2024

I've been sorting out thousands of pictures searching for the ID´s of different species, one of them is the Northern Bottlenose Whales, 2024 was in fact the first season I recall not seeing even one single individual. Hopefully it was the first and last season like this, I love these guys! This image goes back to 2009.

20/10/2024

Profile picture from a male Risso´s dolphin, those scars details....💙

19/10/2024

Hunting into a needle fish baitball! Some common dolphins having a nice breakfast right in the morning, so cool to see this diferent hunting behaviours :D

17/10/2024

A bryde´s whale in the frontyard...how cool is that when you can see this beauty and your house in the background 💙

15/10/2024

10/10/2024

About yesterday when the false killer whales were on the hunt for big tunas, common dolphins and rissos dolphins were invited to the feast to, how cool was that, to see this three dolphins species interacting with eachother!

09/10/2024

Fresh sashimi anyone? Today in our morning trip we saw just here outside of Lajes a pod of false killer whales on the hunt...and yes they hunted a large tuna! Smart very smart this dolphins are!

16/09/2024

Today in the afternoon trip we witnessed the birth of a S***m Whale, what a privilege!!
The sea conditions were far from ideal, but we were gifted with this unforgettable moment.
Thank you Malina for registering the moment.

https://www.instagram.com/stories/malina.guethner/3458601272720428168?igsh=Y2d3ZzJueXU5eGVl

11/09/2024

"Meet the Guests"

Bernhard Meier, a biologist from Germany, spent two weeks in August on Pico and went out to sea with us a remarkable 17 times!Throughout his career, he has worked with primates, birds, and in botany, but he had never worked with whales or dolphins before. He came to Pico specifically to see different species of cetaceans.

What brought you to Pico/Lajes?

I just came here because of this company and the whales. I had previously done whale watching in La Gomera, where I met a girl who recommended Espaco Talassa in Pico. That's the sole reason I'm here, and I've devoted all my energy during these few weeks to going out as often as possible!

So you’ve done whale watching before. Did you notice any differences?

Especially in terms of species diversity, there are huge differences. In La Gomera, you mainly see pilot whales, occasionally dolphins, and very rarely a s***m whale. Here there are so many different species. It’s just full wirh animals!

So you saw many different animals during your two weeks here. But do you have a favorite Azorean cetacean?

I particularly like the pilot whale. People often think whales have to be very large, but the smaller pilot whales are very fascinating. But s***m whales are also great.

Which animal would you still like to see?
I would love to see the large baleen whales, like the blue whale. That’s why I’m coming back in April for two weeks. I’ve already booked my flights.

That’s really cool. We are happy to hear that. Did you have a highlight in this trip?

Once, we saw an entire group of young male s***m whales swimming side by side at the surface. That was very impressive! It’s moments like these that remind us we observe these animals to better understand ourselves and our place in evolution, and then we realize that we are not the only creatures with feelings and intelligence!

We completely agree with Mr. Meier. It’s important to observe this animals to understand how intelligent and emotional they can be to protect them and treat them with respect. Thank you very much for the interview, and we look forward to seeing you in April!

31/08/2024

This cool Bryde´s Whale has been around the South of Pico and Faial from at least August 11th, yesterday afternoon we were lucky to see it again. Make yourself at home!!

30/08/2024

Our friendly Bryde´s whale getting curious with us, today this was the highlight from the full day trip to São Jorge!

23/08/2024

19/08/2024

“Meet the Crew”

Mariana, 23 years old, I’m Portuguese and a guide here in Espaço Talassa :)

What's your background ?
I do have a degree in Marine Biology with a bachelor’s thesis focused on Bioacoustics, more specifically on the songs of baleen whales. I worked in environmental education to raise awareness about conservation and was a guide for two seasons at a dolphin-watching company, always hoping to catch a glimpse of the big ones !

What are the best and worst part of the job ?
The best is to be in the water, seeing the animals, try to understand their behaviors and show them to you. It's the mystery of not knowing exactly what we're going to see that thrills me.
And if there’s a worst part is probably the back pain from all those hours on the boat.

Favorite azorean cetacean ?
Has to be the S***mwhale. It is an animal that amazes me every time. Different from all the others, with an impressive evolutionary process and with one of the most amazing acoustic domains.

Most wanted animal ? If you go out tomorrow and you have a wish, what would it be ?
Orcas will always be my favorite to spot but, if it was tomorrow I would wish for whale shark, northern right whale and northern right whale dolphins, if I’m not asking too much :)

Have you been whale watching before, where, and why are the Azores better to your opinion ?
I did it in Norway, it was beautiful indeed, but you don’t see more than 2 species. The answer in one word is biodiversity. Azores is one of the hotspots to see cetaceans in the world without any doubt and Pico is a special place, the amount of life that surrounds this island is truly outstanding.

15/08/2024

Magic happened today!
One of the most amazing trips ever, we got to see 10 species in a 3 hour trip!

Bottlenose Dolphin
Pigmy S***m Whale
Sowerby's Beaked Whale
Pilot Whale
Risso's Dolphin
Cuvier's Beaked Whale
Bryde's Whale
S***m Whale
Common Dolphin
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin

For me it's my record, in 26 seasons it was the first time with so many species in one trip, I remember having 8 a few times and I believe I had 9 once, 10 it's a first!
Also on board was as a guide our super excited Isaure Michaud and one of the guests was Jon Hall from mammalwatching.com , Jon is trying to see as many mammals in the wild as possible and we proudly contributed with his 2228th species, the Sowerby's Beaked Whale!
Thank you all for a wonderful day to remember! 💙

13/08/2024

“Meet the Crew”

Filipa, 24 years old, Portuguese and I'm a guide here in Espaço Talassa

What's your background ?

I did a degree in Marine Biology and a master degree in Applied Marine Biology, but always with my thesis on turtles! I’ve always been in love with them, my passion since ever. But I wanted more experience with other animals as well so I came here, because we see so many different species! And I fell in love with this job. It’s a mix of everything I like turtles+cetaceans!

What are the best and worst part of the job ?

Best part of the job is everyday you get to see something different, different behavior, different species and sometimes rare species! Also, the team! We get along super well and it’s funny and nice when you get to share these moments with someone that you like!
The worst part for me is working in rainy days.

Favorite azorean cetacean ?

That's a though one, but I really enjoy the long-finned pilot whales, it’s something we don’t see every year but when we get the chance to see them it’s incredible! Also False Killer Whales are crazy to see.

Most wanted animal ? If you go out tomorrow and you have a wish, what would it be ?

Northern right whale! It’s on the species already sighted here but once and many years ago… but maybe one day. Also, I’m always hoping to see a Leatherback Turtle!

Have you been whale watching before, where, and why are the Azores better to your opinion ?

I did it once in mainland where I saw some bottlenose dolphins, but here in Azores we have so many biodiversity, it’s possible in one trip to see 6/7/8 different species. There’s not a lot of places in the world where you achieve this!

07/08/2024

Gentle little giant 💙

06/08/2024

It's so cool to have a curious juvenile S***m Whale, this one stayed almost 10 minutes staring at us!

05/08/2024

This s***m whale dive was one of the coolest i saw for a while, this female just fluked in slow motion and so high! What a dive!!

04/08/2024

About yesterday morning, when a massive 6 meters false killer whale launch herself so close on the side of the boat... that made our hearts beat faster without a doubt! 😅

03/08/2024

There's always happy faces when the Pseudorcas show up!

03/08/2024

“Meet the Crew”

Hello, I am Arianna, a guide here in Espaço Talassa. I am 26 years old and I am Italian.

What's your background ?
I started with a BSc in Biology and I got specialized with a MSc in Biodiversity and Evolution. I graduated in Italy, but I made my thesis here in Pico island with Nova Atlantis Foundation, focusing on the ecology of Risso’s dolphins. I fell in love with this island and its animals, and that’s how I ended up here in Espaço Talassa.

What are the best and worst part of the job ?
The best part of the job of course is seeing the animals! Especially understanding why they are behaving in a certain way, having an insight in their social life, and managing to explain it to people, so everybody can really see and understand the beauty in it.
For me there are two worst parts of the job. As a biologist and a guide, I feel quite useless when it comes to mechanical jobs and fixing engine issues in the boats.
Also, something that really frustrates me are when bad weather conditions jeopardise amazing sightings of the animals. You would always like to show these incredible animals to people, but sometimes it’s hard to keep the vibe up.

Favorite azorean cetacean ?
Risso’s dolphins! No doubts at all. They are a resident species and we see them quite often, but I miss them when they don’t appear in a few days. Some of them really love the South coast of Pico and we know them by name, so it’s like seeing old friends.
It’s a really cool species, very smart and with a complex social structure, and we still don’t know much about them.

Most wanted animal? If you go out tomorrow and you have a wish, what would it be ?
A part from Risso's dolphins? 🙂 I would say the Whale Shark. I remember the first time I saw one, it was so impressive! Such a massive and gentle animal.

Have you been whale watching before, where, and why are the Azores better to your opinion ?
I went for the first time whale watching in the Mediterranean Sea as a teenager, and I saw only one Striped dolphin in three hours of trip. But then I worked in Italy on a sailing boat for monitoring the cetaceans in the Ligurian Sea, as part of a citizen science project that was involving basically whale watching. The difference is that there we were basically spending our whole day in the sea, active searching with our eyes and with the hydrophone, waiting hours and hours without seeing anything. Seeing one s***m whale in a whole day was a big party.
Here, in 3 hours sometimes you can see 6-7 species! There is a higher amount of animals in a small area, so you can also observe them one thousand times better. The Azores are probably the best place to observe whales and dolphins, at least in Europe.

02/08/2024

Guess what today!! False killer whales in the morning and afternoon trip!! The best of the best! 💙