The Azores offer one of the best habitats in the world for marine mammals with more than 20 identified species. The islands provide a natural aquarium in the middle of the Atlantic between Europe and North America. The sperm whales enjoy uncomparable conditions. They are free of the threat of whalers, and are surrounded by clear waters and abundant food all year round, a true sanctuary. All these conditions have created a unique relationship between the sperm whale and the Azoreans.
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They have become a part of the natural heritage of the islanders, both historically and culturally. The relationship is as old as the islands’ first inhabitants but intensifies after the arrival of the first North American whalers 200 years ago. The Azoreans learned the trade and whaling was a livelihood for many until 1987, date of the last capture of the sperm whale.
Today the whales are present in the lives of the people in another, more pleasant, form. The legacy of the old whalers has been reformed and protected. The boats continue to react to the words and sounds “baleia à vista, baleia à vista” (whale in sight). They travel in the direction of the cetacean guided by the “vigias”, or lookouts. These men, with years of experience, search the waters with binoculars, looking for signs of the leviathan, for movements and spouts.
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On board the excitement of the crew increases. Enthusiasm and emotions rise... One desire dominates and that is the much sought encounter with the sperm whale and the dolphins. The sensation is the same as that of the past. All are caught between the feeling of fear of a giant and the pleasure of discovery. Emotions very similar to those of the old whalers. They left for every hunt as if it were their first, always an adventure.
Today the NEW WHALERS, pacifists, hunt, and capture this magnificent mammal in the lens of their cameras.
The Lookouts
Localised at strategic points in the islands, the whale lookouts remain and continue to serve the purpose of discovering the sperm whale. They are a symbol today of an illustrious past, and have been returned to active duty in what must be a greater future. Apart from their assistance to the New Whalers, they also provide the landlubber with a way to encounter the sperm whale as well a spot to enjoy the wonders of the surrounding landscape.
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