Bottlenose dolphins

Not a brilliant photo, but a brilliant experience.
Our last day here: a fine sunny day, and we went out in a whale and dolphin watching trip. We were told that there was a fair chance of not seeing whales They dive to a depth of 1000 metres or more and can stay underwater for up to 45 minutes so you are lucky to see them. April and May are the months when most whales are seen here. Anyway we didn't.
Nevertheless we were fortunate to see schools of three different species of dolphins, each for several minutes at a time. It was often hard to determine if we were following them or they were following us since by and large they were curious. Each had distinctive and different characteristics which were soon apparent. The Common Dolphins were comparatively slight, playful and gentle; the Bottlenose Dolphins were large and powerful, powering themselves along at the bows of the boat and weaving about in groups of four or five, clearly enjoying leading us on; the Atlantic Spotted Dolphins were small and beautifully marked, leaping rather balletically in synchronised groups of three or four out of the water in a manner reminiscent of penguins.
A fine sight and a happy end to our two weeks in the Azores.

Tomorrow we fly home and then after a welcome hello to Billy and to Jess, I will be off camping for a week without internet access. I hope you have a good week.