Pico Island holds a unique place in the history of the relationship between people and whales. In the heart of the North Atlantic, its deep waters are home to an extraordinary diversity of whales, dolphins, and other marine species, making the Azores one of the world’s great whale watching destinations.

As many as twenty-seven cetacean species can be encountered throughout the year. Sperm whales, humpback whales, fin whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and seabirds all thrive in an environment where the biological richness of the Atlantic is fully expressed.

We selected this team for the quality of the experience they provide and for an approach rooted in Pico’s long maritime tradition. Their trips are led by a team of marine biologists, experienced skippers, and the island’s “Vigias”—shore-based lookouts who now locate whales to help ensure they can be observed with respect for their natural behavior.

Beyond encounters with marine wildlife, these excursions offer the opportunity to discover a place where the way people look at the ocean has profoundly changed over time. Where whales were once sought to be hunted, they are now sought to be understood, appreciated, and protected.

What We Particularly Appreciate Here

The story of a place that transformed the way it looks at whales. A destination that reminds us that our relationship with the living world can evolve, and that understanding can one day replace conquest.