Humpback mothers and calves off São Tomé and Príncipe

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) — mother–calf pairs made up about two-thirds of groups in the 2002–2006 surveys; pantropical spotted and bottlenose dolphins; occasional killer whale off the north-east coast August–October. South coast of São Tomé (Porto Alegre, Ilhéu das Rolas) and the Príncipe coast, São Tomé and Príncipe.

Best time: 1 Aug – 30 Sep (August to September). Where: Ilhéu das Rolas – islet on the equator, Porto Alegre / Praia Inhame – southern tip of São Tomé, São Tomé city – Ana Chaves bay (São Tomé and Príncipe). Time of day: Boats go in the calm of the morning, 07:30–11:00.

• Partly on your own
• Low cost
• Binoculars essential
• Sound 3/5

Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.

When is the best time?

Peak: 1 Aug – 30 Sep. August and September: the whales arrive from late July and mothers with calves rest in the lee of the islands into October–November; whale trips from Príncipe run mid July to mid September

Active from 15 Jul to 31 Oct (July to October) in a typical year.

Time of day

Boats go in the calm of the morning, 07:30–11:00; from the headlands the best watching is the last two hours before sunset with the sun behind you and the sea flattening

• Boat window: 07:30 → 11:00
• Shore watching: 2 h before sunset → sunset

What will you hear?

Blows, tail-slaps and the slap of a breach carry over a flat sea; a hydrophone from a drifting boat in September finds singing males at depth. From the headlands it is a visual spectacle against the surf; the islands are quiet enough that a blow is heard from the cliff on a still evening.

Binoculars?

Binoculars essential. From the headlands the whales are 300 m to 2 km out — binoculars needed, scope better; from the boat they close to 50 m.

Where to go

• Ilhéu das Rolas – islet on the equator — Boat from Porto Alegre in 15 minutes; the islet's southern cliffs and the channel are a whale and dolphin watch point; boats go from the islet. Map
• Porto Alegre / Praia Inhame – southern tip of São Tomé — Boat trips go from Praia Inhame (dolphins, whales in season) and the beach and headlands are free shore watching. Map
• São Tomé city – Ana Chaves bay — City waterfront; dolphins are regular and whales pass the bay in August–September; boats for hire here. Map
• Bom Bom, Príncipe – northern point — Whale-watching boats leave from the north coast, mid July to mid September. Map

How to go on your own, and what it costs

Shore watching is free from the Porto Alegre headlands, the Rolas cliffs (ferry from Porto Alegre) and the north-east coast road. Boats go from Praia Inhame, Ilhéu das Rolas, São Tomé city and the north coast of Príncipe — all book by the trip. Taxi or shared minibus São Tomé city–Porto Alegre about 2.5 hours.

Cost: Headlands free; Rolas ferry a few euros; boat trips roughly €40–80 per person — check current prices.

Free or no-guide alternative: The headlands either side of Praia Inhame and the Rolas channel on a calm August evening: blows and breaches within a kilometre of the shore, no boat.

Field-recording notes

The boats are small outboards: ask for an engine-off drift at each encounter and keep the hydrophone away from the hull slap. No regulated approach distance is published for the islands — hold the boat at 100 m and let the whales close. The gravana sea is grey and calm but the swell on the exposed south-west coast can stop trips. Shore watching from the Rolas cliffs and Porto Alegre headlands is free and quiet apart from surf.

Sources

• The waters of São Tomé: a calving ground for West African humpback whales? (Carvalho et al. 2011, UAlg repository)

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More: all spectacles in São Tomé and Príncipe · humpback whales · whales, dolphins and seals · São Tomé and Príncipe in August · São Tomé and Príncipe in September