The Azorean government gave us a permit allowing our videographer and cameraman, Gavin Newman, to actually get in the water with the whales and film. Gavin, together with IFAW whale expert Russell Leaper, were able to approach the whales from a small inflatable boat, but this meant that they needed a support vessel to help carry gear and ferry them out to the right locations - and I was lucky enough to be one of the support crew.

At 8.15am we were loaded up and ready to go. Only one more thing was needed – some indication of where we might actually find the whales! Fortunately the Azores has some of the keenest-eyed and experienced whale-spotters in the world – the vigias. There are about four or five of them on each Azorean island, and they tend to be family members who have had the role handed down to them. Sitting at optimum vantage points in small pill-boxes high up in the mountains, they use binoculars to scan the seas, and can reputedly tell the difference between a sperm whale and a baleen whale from over 10 miles away. Monica, our colleague from UAC, called them up and right on cue the answer came back - there was a pod of sperm whales off the coast of Pico, the next island in the chain to Faial (where we were), and also fin and sei whales.

In the hour or more it took us to get there more sightings were made - the area was brimming with whales. Gavin and Richard set off in the fast inflatable, leaving us lagging behind. While they tracked the sperm whales, our slower boat, the Aguas Vivas received more exciting news from the vigias of a blue whale spotted close by. We headed for the spot and were rewarded when we saw a spout of water perhaps 200 metres distant - it's an amazing sight. When a blue whale blows the water seems to shoot so high and stay in the air for such a long time that it's likewatching a fountain. As we cautiously approached, we could see the whale's 'footprint' in the water. This is the trail left by its massive flukes as they work up and down, pushing the animal along - like a miniature version of a ship's wake.

For the next seven hours I (together with the rest of the support crew - seamen Mike and Remon from Esperanza, videographers Richard and Phil, and marine biologist Monica) was privileged to have a succession of jaw-dropping encounters with both toothed and baleen whales. Only for Monica was this a common experience - for the rest of us it was the thrill of alifetime. Catching up with Gavin and Richard we found that they'd located the sperm whales and done some underwater filming. Unfortunately, the water visibility was only good to 15 metres or so, and the whales didn't come that close. At this time of year the plankton flourishes in a massive 'spring bloom' which, while it attracts the baleen (filter-feeding) whales to the area, also restricts visibility - which in the summer can be as good as 25 to 30 metres. Finally, exhilarated but exhausted, we headed home. Today the videographers are already out again trying for more close-ups of these amazing creatures. I only get to go the once though - it's only fair to let someone else have the chance.

Azorean whale-watching activities are a model of good practice, which Greenpeace would like to see replicated around the world. Starting in 1992 with a single operator and about 100 clients, by 2004 there were around 35,000 customers and 35 boats with official licenses given by the Tourism Directorate, making it far more commercially valuable to the archipelago’s economy than whaling ever was. The main focus is on the sperm whales which live in these waters year round, but there are also regular sightings of baleen whales and small dolphins.

The rapid growth of whale-watching has meant a big increase in its social and economic importance to the region, and made cetacean welfare a matter of prime importance to Azoreans. In 1995 these concerns led to meetings between representatives of the Azorean Regional Government, the University of the Azores (UAC) and the first whale-watching operators.

As a result, in 1996, UAC started a research program to develop effective, and scientifically-based, whale-watching regulations. These laws have been revised over the years, as the University has gained in experience and the number of whale tourists has grown, always based on a ‘precautionary principle’ that the disturbance caused to the animals should be kept to minimum. Only licensed boats are allowed to work, and the rules are strict. The latest version, produced in 2004, restricts whale-watching to specific zones, and defines the maximum number of boats and the maximum boat length (and/or engine power) allowed in each area.

This arrangement is now working so well that the whale-watchers act as information gatherers for UAC, taking photographs of the sperm whales they encounter (individuals can be identified by unique nicks and scars on their tail flukes) to contribute to a 'Photo-Identity' project which is cataloging the whales in an effort to understand more about their lives. And when we held a press conference aboard Esperanza two days ago to talk about all the good work that is being done here to conserve whales, the President of the local whale-watching association was an honoured guest and one of the key speakers. What is so pleasing is that this is a situatuion in which everybody wins; local people make a good living, scientists conduct useful research and most importantly, the whales are protected.

As our project co-ordinator Richard is fond of saying - "you can only kill a whale once, but you can watch it over and over again."

- Joss