WWF TRAVEL RESEARCH CRUISES: WHALE WATCHING BUT NOT ONLY!

WWF Travel offers a sailing cruise where travelers will be involved in WWF scientific research activities for the protection of the megafauna of the Mediterranean. An experience of sea and navigation accompanied by WWF researchers, where you can learn to observe, identify and protect, with strictly non-invasive methods, the cetaceans of our seas. 

For travelers it will be an opportunity to enjoy natural and marine beauties, to have fun in the most beautiful seas of the Mediterranean and at the same time to develop skills of great scientific interest such as:

• Nature photography techniques and photo-identification

• Monitoring methodologies 

• Behavioural sampling techniques 

• use of research instrumentation: GPS, navigation software, binoculars with reticles, video camera and BORIS software for the acquisition of surface behavioural data.

The atmosphere on the boat is serene and informal, and everyone on board will be involved in the activities on board (such as cooking, keeping the boat tidy,..)  , in order to preserve the spirit of sharing that characterizes this type of holiday. The daily activities, in agreement with the skipper and the researcher, will be modulated and variable according to the weather and sea conditions and the identification of itineraries that lend themselves extemporaneously to scientific research. For this reason, in the crew we will need to be flexible and understand that working with animals in the wild is not 100% plannable. Sometimes cetacean observations will require longer navigations in order to make an observation. But that's the beauty of a cruise that has a scientific research component!

WHY CHOOSE WWF TRAVEL?

1) RESPONSIBLE TOURISM: we are among the founding members of AITR, the Italian Association of Responsible Tourism; For us, making a trip means first of all implementing all the good practices aimed at respecting the environment, local communities and supporting the protection of biodiversity;

2) COMPETENCE and KNOWLEDGE: we place a huge value on competence, in fact WWF researchers all come from naturalistic training courses, but above all they have a very clear objective, which is to give depth to the emotions experienced on board and ensure that your wealth of knowledge is much heavier when you return from an experience with WWF, enriching every moment spent in search of the inhabitants of the sea with details.

3) FUN AND PLEASURE: let's never forget that we are talking about holidays. We want to learn more about the nature that surrounds us, but we want to do it while enjoying the beauty of the places we are visiting and appreciating the pleasure of sharing the experience with our travel companions in a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere.

OUR SKIPPER

The skipper of this experience will be Francesco N.. Check out the great reviews it has already received on Sailsquare. On board, together with Francesco, you will also find two other people who will help him during the navigation: they will live with you a magical experience in search of cetaceans. For those who wish, during the experience it will be possible to learn sailing notions with a small course held by the skipper. 

Sailing with Francesco means taking a step back in time, it means experiencing those emotions that only history with its traditions can give you. Lie on deck, eyes closed, the sun warming your face and feel the gentle roll of the boat as it safely ploughs through the water. In fact, the schooner is built entirely of wood and designed for an environmental project to raise awareness on the issue of plastic in the sea.  There are two double cabins, a triple cabin (with double berth + 1 single berth) and a quadruple cabin with 4 single berths. The triple cabin, being a passageway, is a cabin that is not "closed".

This boat is deliberately spartan but very charming, so the small price to pay is the lack of some comforts: there is no 220v (so it is not possible to use the hairdryer on board) and it does not dispense hot water.