Tips before coming aboard

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Coming aboard the Karyam to watch whales and dolphins is an activity involving varying degrees of adventure, so don’t forget to bring your sense of adventure with you. Everyone can do the activities and no previous experience is needed, but don’t forget you’re setting out on an adventure.

Like all adventures in the wild, we are exposed to the winds, rain and sun, etc……sometimes not everything goes as you planned……you need to accept this

-On all boats of this size life on board is intimate and intense, so we would also ask you to bring along your spirit of sharing and accepting the small discomforts which come precisely from the adventure. For people coming on their own, you already know that you have to share a cabin with a person you don’t know, who could be a man or a woman.

-In any case, if you have any problems with this, it’s best to let the crew know beforehand.

There are no waiters on board, so don’t forget to bring that spirit of giving your very best. Everyone must clear the table and wash up everything that was used, so don’t shirk or turn a blind eye!

-On other boats, when you board you pay into a fund and buy food, which would lead to a waste of time on our route that, along with the lack of experience about what to buy, seems to us to be a negative factor. Therefore the crew of the Karyam buys all the food needed as they have knowledge and expertise in these matters. So you don’t need to worry about having to shop and you also won’t waste any time on these chores during our voyage

Breakfast is: coffee, milk, juices, a selection of pastries and toast, etc. Lunch and dinner menus are usually mixed salads, cold meat, cheese and pâté hors d’oeuvre and a more elaborate main course (chicken with prunes, crayfish stew, ham fillets with curry, steak with Roquefort sauce, couscous with meat, etc). There is no dessert.

There is no choice of meal, you have what is served (we believe that we eat rather well on board), a selection dishes is not an option…..however, if you have any dietary requirements, don’t forget to let the crew know before you board.

There are also drinks: water, soft drinks, lager and wine. Drinking water is NOT limited, in fact it is good to drink a lot, especially if it is hot.

-Some days, if we are sailing at midday, we do not do a cooked lunch, we just have sandwiches.

Activities are directed by the crew at all times, at certain times they make decisions which you must be ready to accept willingly as they are made for safety reasons. Please do not argue with them as they are the ones with far more experience, although, of course, you can always express your opinion.

-All activities (apart from sailing and whale and dolphin watching) are optional, so if you don’t feel like doing any you don’t have to…

Don’t forget sea sickness pills even if only as a precaution. The crew will let you know how to take them.

We also recommend: a hat or cap, comfortable footwear, sun cream, sunglasses, etc, and bring something to read if you like, although there are books and guidebooks on board.

Please, if possible, don’t bring a hard shell suitcase.

-You won’t need too much luggage.

Bring a towel.

You already know you need to bring a sleeping bag, and if you want to spend a night on deck gazing at the stars (highly recommended) bring a sleeping mat – mattresses may not be removed from the cabins.

-There are fins and goggles (free-of-charge) on board so you can go snorkelling, but we don’t have endless sizes, so there are times if there are several people with the same shoe size when there aren’t enough to go round.

We would recommend that you bring your own fins, at least.

This is not necessary for scuba diving.

-The whales and dolphins we are looking for, and take a record of, on our trips don’t appear when we want them to – we have to find them, so DON’T FORGET to be patient.
We could see hundreds of them, or none at all – but the chance of seeing creatures is very high.

IT IS NOT possible to swim with them, this is illegal in Spain. We are subject to the current regulations (click here if you’d like to read the regulations).

 

Here are some tips we got from the internet (from an Argentinian company in Chubut) which we like a lot:

The traveller should consider that whale watching is a wildlife safari, with no guarantees that the animals will be seen at their most “photogenic”. Whales are not there to entertain, they are living out their natural life cycle.

When choosing the whale watching company, the traveller should remember that they are a guest who has not been invited.

There are regulations in force governing whale watching and the captains of the boats must respect them, for your safety and that of the whales.

Following whales when they actively swim away from boats is forbidden.

Boats must stay at least 50 metres away from the whales.

Several boats approaching the same whales at the same time is not allowed, nor is sailing in circles around them.

Objects must not be thrown either into the sea or at the whales.

It is not appropriate to make loud noises near the animals.

 

I am convinced that you’ll love the trip and come back again….I’m absolutely sure of it…