killer whales

Ever wanted to look an orca in the eye without chlorine water and speakers blasting music? Tarifa is the place to go. In summer, Odyssea takes you to the southernmost point of continental Europe, in the Strait of Gibraltar. Along with a half dozen other people, you get to embark on the legendary Jaquelin, Turmares’ whale-watching boat, to look for killer whales. You’re very likely to encounter other marine mammals as well: several species of dolphins and, if you’re lucky, even the occasional transiting fin whale. You learn the technique of photo-identification, a method used to recognize individuals using the unique markings on their dorsal fins. Aside from the time spent out at sea, you also get to explore the town of Tarifa, and a trip to Gibraltar and the Top of the Rock, as well as to the ancient roman ruins of Bolonia, are mandatory.

You’ll get to know the good ol’ chucky doll on a fence on the side of the road, meet the monkeys in Gibraltar, realize that Pierre seems to know EVERYONE in town, eat the best pizza in the world after cutting it with scissors, maybe get seasick and miss the sightings, but that’s ok, the others will show you their pictures. You can sunbathe on the beach and frolic in the waves, climb the top of the dune in Bolonia and ideally roll down in the hot sand. Basically, it’s a trip where you learn a lot from Pierre’s evening lectures and field work, but you also get to know people who share your interests, and have loads of fun with the team.

Text written by Livia Gavard, whose company brought us a lot of joy and laughter during the field courses in Tarifa and Florida.