Pregnant whale watchers meet Lola the friendly whale in the Azores!

Posted by Amanda Stafford 3 November

In July 2008, the team from the Dolphin Connection Experience, took a group of pregnant women, birth support partners, and birth assistants (doulas) to swim with dolphins and meet the whales of the Azores. It was a very precious and memorable journey.
I was approached by Monica in Norway, if we would take her to swim with dolphins in the later stages of her pregnancy. Her enthusiasm and persuasive communication inspired me to do this and after speaking to Birgit and Verena who were also excited to bring their unborn babies on such an adventure I decided to go for it. Like a “pregnant” snowball, the idea gathered momentum and we had a group with the focus on birth preparation and honouring the new life in utero. It was the last holiday before the family life begins!!

The babies themselves certainly were “active” participants and it was a beautiful and intimate celebration. It was a big journey to get to the Azores mid Atlantic Islands and it was exciting to meet and listen to everyone’s stories. The pregnant ones did find the boat trips tiring so they had as much rest, tender loving care and shiatsu treatments as they needed. We had a beautiful time together, eating in the outdoor restaurant under the vines, swimming from the rocks and snorkelling. We danced together and after offered a healing to the pregnant ones which was a time of honouring and feeling the love growing between mother and child. We went on the ocean most days on a special “stable” boat and the group really bonded with so much joy, laughter and celebration! Emotions flowed and people spoke about how the experience was affecting them.

We saw so much during our time on the ocean, We swam with dolphins who shared their underwater world, curious to see the pregnant bellies. We saw 4 species of whale. The Bottlenose Whales are rare and we rode along with the pod for 30 minutes with their characteristic large heads coming up for air! We were hanging from the back of the boat watching Pilot Whales elegantly swimming under us. They were looking up and gracing us with their slow, sensual movements in a huge group and of course there was Lola the Sperm Whale . . .

Something unexpected and profound happened on Day 3. Our boat was approached by a solitary whale. She turned and moved slowly towards us. I refer to her as “she” because of her size and most of the Sperm Whales in the Azores at this time are female or juveniles and can be identified quite easily. These waters are the breeding grounds, we often meet large nursery groups frolicking and socializing.

So this particular day the presence of one whale beside us was very exciting and deeply moving. She did not “look” at you with her eyes, but with her presence. It penetrated to some place deep inside you and awakened a quality so full and precious . .  a benevolent grace, a deep kindness you could only witness in awe and feel humbled the presence of something great that could touch you so deeply. In that moment there was nothing else, the pure exquisite presence opening your heart, your senses, wonder where all else dissolves . . .

She came alongside the boat where the pregnant bellies were hanging over the side, almost as if she knew something. Then she went a short way from the boat. We waited, stunned in silent alertness as suddenly what looked like a blue shimmering light seemed to be approaching the boat . . . the play of the sparkling sunshine and this blue luminescence was beguiling, bewitching . . .

But what was it? As it got close to us we realised it was the belly of this whale which she exquisitely showed off to our pregnant bellies lined up along the side of the boat. She moved to the front of the boat and went underwater, we waited and watched, spell bound. Then suddenly with a huge splash the entire body of the whale rose from the water about 10 metres from us - known as a full body breach - at the same time a very large bowel movement (mmmmm) some way from us, and then krrrrrmphhhh she decended on the surface of the ocean with a huge flop and splash!

The next day, we thought well, it can’t get better than that (we say that on most days in The Azores and each day reveals such special things)! We were approached again by a solitary whale - yes it was the same whale - she was a real character, you could sense her communication today, she was making contact, intentionally checking us out. How in all time and space she appeared there again was part of the great mystery, but sure enough there she was, same markings and this time I thought she just has to have a name, so we named her “Lola”. I was in such appreciation of her beauty and asked her out loud if she would show us her head - I have not made a specific request of a whale before - but Lola and behold (!) . . . the head emerged (known as spy- hopping)!

We could see her eyes on either side, she then went underwater again. I saw Fergus, who is one of the team, positioning himself on the platform at the back of the boat , with his head upside down, mask on, in readiness to see whatever he could underwater. So I told Lola that Fergus would love to see her and would she mind going to the back of the boat. Sure enough she turned and we could see shades of grey under the water moving towards Fergus. She passed him at about 5 metres distance and he had an up close and personal view of her eye close to his head - wow! To say he was blown away was an understatement (when he returned to the UK he changed his life, quite literally! We are keeping a close eye on him though! )

Well I kind of expected a whale to pop up next to the boat during the rest of the season, it never happened, but you never forget something like that, it is always with you!

About the author
Amanda Stafford spent 10 years working with pregnant women as a shiatsu therapist and attending births (many water births) as a doula. This trip was an experiment and only happened once! Amanda founded The Dolphin Connection in 1997 and has been taking groups of general tourists to swim with dolphins and see the whales in The Azores.

She has spent many years exploring her fascination with dolphins and the marine environment. She has worked in the field of cetacean research and inter-species communication. She is also involved with environmental conservation and is involved with various marine conservation organisations to preserve life in the ocean.        

Amanda is also a graduate psychologist, bodywork practitioner and works internationally as a business/life coach. Above all she brings to the Dolphin Connection an infectious enthusiasm and passion about dolphins and the ways being in their presence can inspire and empower changes in how we live our heartfelt values. “over many years swimming and interacting with wild dolphins, I have found a relationship with life that is less and less interrupted by self-doubt and negativity. There is more and more fun, love, abundance and freedom." There is also a deeper desire to give something back to the magnificent oceans and preserve them.

In 2010 the company began offering trips to Egypt to swim with the Spinner and Bottlenose Dolphins of The Red Sea. We are also campaigning to reduce the numbers of dolphins captured for use in dolphinariums in Egypt as it is possible to see them in their natural habitat following ethical codes of conduct. Somehow the experience of seeing them in captivity leaves everyone with the strange feeling in their heart “ something does NOT feel right or good here". If you have ever seen dolphins in captivity and would like to be interviewed for a documentary, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .