Responsible Whale Watching

Rules and Codes of Conduct

At Futurismo, we follow strictly the World Cetacean Alliance’s Global Best Practice Guidance for Responsible Whale and Dolphin Watching.

This guide includes all the rules we should respect in order to be approved by the world’s largest organization in charge of the protection and conservation of cetaceans all around the globe. We are very proud of our Responsible whale watching company status and want to keep it. In order to do so, we should:

Minimize negative impacts on cetaceans and the environment;
Result in high levels of customer satisfaction;
Positively benefit local communities and the environment;
Educate and inspire the public and the wider tourism industry.

Certified by the WCA

Being certified by the World Cetacean Alliance means that we are recognized as a leader in our industry. Indeed, we have the only global certification for responsible whale and dolphin watching, and that is a big privilege for us.

Thanks to this organization, nature lovers who come to the Azores know that they can trust us as a responsible company, whereas it is not the case for other ones. It makes their tour companies’ choice easier, making sure they don’t hurt nature while spending great holidays in the Azores Islands. Discover more about why choosing Futurismo.

Reducing our footprint

As we are offering whale and dolphin watching from a boat, we should establish a plan to reduce disturbance to the animals and a sustainability plan to minimize our impact on the environment. And we did it! Indeed, on the coast, we have lookouts, called in Portuguese “Vigias”. They are an important part of our staff.

Located on the coast equipped with powerful binoculars, they lead our boat to the whales and dolphins that they find, thanks to radios. This allows us to consume less fuel, as we go directly to the animals and don’t have to look for them. This role comes from the traditional whaling times, but instead of indicating the boats where the whales are to hunt them, now they are telling us where to go see them peacefully, in their natural environment.

Point of Honour

Anyone that fails to comply, in a way that is deliberately gross, will be removed immediately from the activity without any refund.

Be an active guardian!

Demand justice and responsibility. Despite being on vacation, take your time to
report bad environmental attitudes, injustice, exploitation or discrimination.