Dolphin Encountours Research Center

26/09/2026

Dolphin Diary 200926 - This morning the ocean was Lake Placid; flat and glassy. Then, as if someone flipped a switch, it went bumpy and choppy in no time. We almost packed it in but alas we did not.

First, humpback whales were sighted heading south; then the people of the sea we know by name arrived and they were keen for a visit. Bo, Bluebell and Zapha. Bluebell and Zapha stayed close, curious, circling mostly regular visitor Candice.

The people of the sea. On their terms. As it should be.

Thanks to our bums on board today.

23/09/2026

This is the whole point🐬

🔗 Book your launch with us via the link in our bio

21/09/2026

We have a 94.1% success rate! 🙌 Each tour directly funds long-term research, beach cleanups and marine protection in Parque Nacional de Maputo .

This is what 30 years of conscious, ethical eco-tourism looks like. 🌊

📍 Ponta do Ouro · Mozambique

Book your tour: https://www.dolphinencountours.org/booking-form
📲 Or directly on WhatsApp: +258 84 330 3859

21/09/2026

Dolphin Diary 130926 - With gentle seas we headed out after our briefing and had out first sighting just after 7am. A pod of some 25 indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins were observed heading south, just off backline. Slipping in, the mostly resting and quiet pod passed through, however some sociable souls stayed for a visit. Multiple sightings were of humpback whales too!

Thanks for your support this morning!

18/09/2026

📍 Ponta do Ouro, Mozambique — International Coastal Cleanup 2026 (17 Sep. 2026)

DolphinEncountours.Org, Parque Nacional de Maputo (MNP) and ANAC, together with students and teachers from the American International School Maputo completed another coastal clean-up, this time at Techobanine.

In two hours (12:20–14:30) we removed 175 kg of debris in 45 bags. Most of it was plastic.

A decomposing, large humpback whale was also recorded. It’s lifeless body, a reminder of how much this coastline carries.

Ocean Conservancy research shows how little it takes: six small pieces of rubber can kill a seabird, half a soccer ball of soft plastic is enough to kill most dolphins and half the turtles studied had plastic in their guts. Soft plastics and fishing debris are among the deadliest items.

Techobanine sits inside a World Heritage Site that holds some of Mozambique’s most important turtle nesting ground and the wild bottlenose dolphins we have followed for 30 years.

Every bag, bottle and fragment off the beach is one less blockage, entanglement, puncture or false meal.

Thank you to everyone that participated today!

Clean-ups are not the whole solution —we still need to stop plastic at the source— but they are one of the most immediate ways we can protect life.

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Partner appreciation and gratitude to the students and teachers, Parque Nacional de Maputo, Gesellschaft zur Rettung der Delphine e.V. (GRD) and Ocean Conservancy

17/09/2026

Dolphin Diary 120926 - This morning we were given a great lesson in male on male social behavior. It’s always pretty cool catching up with Billy and Bob who have pretty much been hanging together since 2022! The young males today were spotted in the company of three other young males, namely Jasper and Reef and another younger juvenile.

Next up a small group of humpback whales comprising calf, mum and es**rt. Surface active with lobtailing, beaching, head lunging and tail-slapping, possibly a little lesson time…
Thanks to joining us today.

16/09/2026

Dolphin Diary 100926 - A large mixed pod of indo pacific bottlenose dolphins were observed milling and surfing in Ponta Bay. The mostly resting pod was large in number with some 40 dolphins tightly grouped. In water, we had some direct approaches and circle swims before they headed off.

Three ladies, namely Lucy, old girl Adot and Jagger were all spotted sporting swelling bellies. Exciting times as our water warms and we step into calving season.

Finishing off with a sighing of 3 adult humpback whales heading south AND another pod of bottlenose heading north!

Thanks to our bumps on board today.

15/09/2026

Same dolphin, eleven times!

Chase the fish, make clicking noises, the fish coughs up the meal, the dolphin eats it.

This is the first detailed account of this kind of food-theft ("Kleptoparasitism": deliberate theft of food already caught by another animal) in cetaceans.

📍 Great Barrier Reef.

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Edwards-Francis, R., Kiszka, J.J., Ingram, M., Demmers, P., Shackleton, J., Ramos, E.A. & Armstrong, A.O. (2026). Repeated observations suggesting kleptoparasitism by a Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) on the Great Barrier Reef. Ecology and Evolution 16: e74270.

This study documents the first detailed case of kleptoparasitism in cetaceans, with observations of a Common Bottlenose Dolphin repeatedly pursuing Bigeye Trevally to induce the fish to regurgitate t...

15/09/2026

Dolphin Diary 090926 First up: three humpback whales just around Ponta Point that included mum, calf and es**rt travelling south.

Next up - a pod of our resident bottlenose dolphins, right on backline. About 25 grey faces in two tight pods — calves, juveniles, sub-adults and adults; nursery plus a few of the boys. Heading north.

Thanks for your support this morning!