Spring tour with firmm

Text:Edeltraud Konrad, Fotos: firmm

This season started with Levante- that is a strong wind, coming from the Mediterranean Sea and blowing through the Strait of Gibraltar. Because of it the sea gets rough; depending on the wind force the waves can be as high as 3 meters.Since the 6th of April this Levante hindered us to go out with the boat.

As it is April, the Sperm Whales are passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, so they are the species, in addition to the 4 species that live in the Strait permanently, we can see during this time. They are searched with the eyes of Katharina and Eduardo, the marinero. Both of them have a lot of experience and a very good instinct about where the animals could be. The animals live in the wild (quotation of a journalist of a newspaper in Zurich, who wrote: “here it is not a zoo”).

Yes, that is true. The welfare of the animals and the aspiration not to disturb them is very important for both of them. Respectful whale watching! The animals live in the middle of a busy shipping route; that is disturbance enough.

When animals have been seen, Katharina tells everyone on the boat via microphone, which sounds something like this: „there are pilot whales at 3 o’clock”.

 

Later: “hold on, we are going fast, because we have seen a sperm whale. At 11 o’clock you can see his blow”. When we reach the animals, we keep our distance and everyone can look at them and take pictures.

    

Then the announcement; „Look at the big cargo ship at 2 o’clock. In the bow wave there are dolphins surfing”. Children are running around excitedly, that’s what they have been waiting for: seeing dolphins. Bottlenose dolphins are jumping in the bow waves of the ships, use them as ramps and can jump up to 5 meters through the air. Everyone watches the dolphins fascinated and amazed.

  

Sadly our time is up. Katharina tells us, that it is time to say goodbye to the whales and dolphins and to go back to the harbour.

Back in the harbour the guests stand in front of the shop for a while and talk to each other about the things they have experienced. The children are astonished by the surfing dolphins and ask: “isn’t that dangerous?” Yes, it is but they seem to have a lot of fun doing it and they can well asses dangerous situations.

It was a nice trip!