Dolphins and Snorkeling - Marine Wildlife

A new week has began and the students were very excited about going snorkeling at Arrábida beach.
Arrábida is a portuguese natural park known for its incredible biodiversity and it was a perfect spot to start the day learning about offshore ecosystems and marine life.

After the class where we talked about the natural park and which species we were more likely to find, we got fully-equipt with wetsuits, fins and snorkels, and continued our journey.

"Look, dolphins!" Someone yelled at the boat. It wasn't just one or two dolphins. More than 30 dolphins were swimming around the boat with their calves and 30 more were swimming from a distance. We got lucky! We were told it's unusual to see so many dolphins from the resident population so close.

Swimming in Arrábida's clean water we got to see so many different types of fish and marine life, we even got to see an octopus! It was a unique experience we won't forget!
At Sesimbra, we went to the beach to have lunch, grab an ice-cream and dive into the cold water again before having a class. During the class, we saw some of the algae, sea urchins and abalone shell that we had found floating during our snorkeling.

Today we went to watch some dolphins!
Unfortunately we just saw one, but thanks to an identification guide, we knew the dolphin's name by it's dorsal fin. How cool is that? We learned how biologists study dolphins, about their biology, and their importance to the ecosystem, economy, and culture.

Once the boat stopped, we jumped into the water to take some photos. We didn't spend much time there, since the waters, despite being blue, are really cold.

On our way back, we saw a fortress, some beautiful houses, and buildings in the middle of the green rocky hills. What a view!

Then we came back to our class at Casa da Baía where students could work together in their final projects and had the opportunity to hand paint tiles. They enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their artistic skills and make some of their own souveniers.

We are excited to walk around Lisbon tommorrow.
But about that, we will tell you another day...