ORCA survey, Plymouth to Santander
08 – 10 April 2007
Surveyors: Ruth Leeney, Anne Rolton

Survey conditions were perfect for this, the first ORCA survey of the year on board Brittany Ferries’ Pont Aven, between Plymouth and Santander. Half an hour after we set sail from Plymouth, the captain welcomed us on the bridge and we settled into surveying for the afternoon. The sea state stayed at a very pleasant 2, with little or no swell, and fantastic visibility, right through to the early evening. An hour into the survey, we had our first sighting of about 14 common dolphins, feeding very close to the ship. Shortly after that, we saw a group of bottlenose dolphins displaying acrobatics off the port side. Things then went quiet for a while, before we had a final sighting of an unidentified dolphin ducking quickly under the bow of the ferry.

The following morning, we did our best to make it to the bridge for first light, only to be told by the officer on the bridge that we had just missed two groups of common dolphins and a shark! We resolved to set our alarm clocks for earlier the next day. Yet, within minutes of beginning our watch, we sighted two further groups of common dolphins; first a small group of four, followed by a group of about 25. An hour and a half later marked the start of a series of sightings of groups of common dolphins and long-finned pilot whales, ranging in size from two to 20, which kept us busy for the next two hours! In that time, we also saw a group of 10 bottlenose dolphins, and a group of at least 50 dolphins which were also probably bottlenose.

After all the excitement of a busy morning, we were ready to disembark in Santander, sit for a while in the hazy sunshine and find somewhere for me to practice my newly-learned Spanish skills by ordering some food for two hungry surveyors. The highlight of lunch was definitely Anne’s brave decision to sample “muffled hake”, a feature on the English menu which sounded baffling and fascinating in equal parts! It proved to be hake cooked in an omelette batter, and a good choice, too.

On our departure from Santander, the sea was a little rougher but conditions were still good. We were not far from the harbour when group after group of pilot whales came into view, once more keeping us on our toes and juggling binoculars, clipboards and our excitement for the next hour or so. One particularly interesting sighting was of about 40 pilot whales and several dolphins feeding together in a group. There was also a sighting, at least a kilometre away, of two blows side-by-side, but no further views of these animals made it impossible to identify what they were.

The crew were very enthusiastic and often sighted things before us. The best laugh of the afternoon came when we spotted some common dolphins on the bow. The first and second officer followed us over to the window:
First officer: Quoi? Des dauphins? (What, dolphins?)
Second officer: Non, une vache. (No, a cow.).
Well, cows can swim……!

As the evening wore on, a calm descended, interspersed with several sightings of common dolphins. As the light faded and we started to pack up for the day, one of the crew spotted three blows in the distance, but again no further signs of these animals were seen.

The following morning was a quiet one, with a sighting of about 5 common dolphins, and three unidentified dolphins. As we approached Plymouth harbour, our final sighting was of a single harbour porpoise, with several gannets close by. Stepping out into the Mediterranean sunshine in Plymouth, two tired but happy surveyors made their way home.