OUR HISTORY

Kenya Wildlife Safari has been working at the island of Pico since 1993 to bring humans closer to the ocean. Frank, the founder of the company, invented the first dolphin school for children in the nineties. Together with Dr. Erich K. Ritter he discovered the nursery of hammerhead sharks at the Azores as well as diving grounds to dive with blue sharks. Regularly there take place workshops with researchers and biologists. TV-teams and photographers from all over the world work together with Frank, for example the 3D-film team of Michele Cousteau and the Discovery Channel. Most recently, the Kenya Wildlife Safari Team was instrumental in the production of BBC Blue Planet 2.

Our Fleet

Usually we use the power catamaran „Reefkat“ for our diving tours as well as for our whale watching tours. The boat has a length of twelve meters and has 2 x 320 PS diesel engines. Our diving boat “Joselisa” is a 11,20 meter Rodmann Fisherman and offers space and comfort on board for eight to twelve divers. Both ships are equipped with the latest technology and are licenced for long trips.

Furthermore we possess eight offshore rubber boats which have space for twelve guests. Our offshore diving boats offer space for eight passengers.

Our Security

Each of our boats has an emergency plan and is equipped with satellite phone, a spot satellite tracker, a first aid kit and emergency oxygen facilities. Every trip outside the 12 mile zone also requires an inspection of the maritime police to check if the boat is up to standard. A qualified and experienced diving guide who is familiar with the locations is always present on board. All skippers are an old hand at navigating through the waters at the Azores and around Pico. The next decompression chamber is located in Horta and is one of the most modern in Europe.

Our Sustainability

We offer an excellent and professional service with a qualified crew, impeccable equipment and an elaborate scheduling with a lot of know-how. Furthermore we work sustainably, we worry about the ocean and its creatures as well as about our environment.

Code of Conduct for Whale Watching

Kenya Wildlife Safari has been running sustainable whale watching tours, both at Pico and in Patagonia, for more than 20 years. Regulations for whale and dolphin watching were introduced to the Azores a number of years ago. Those laws dictate specific rules for boats which do whale watching. We strictly abide by these rules. All our boats are operated by Portuguese skippers as it is important to us to integrate the local community. Our experienced guides on board give expert insights into the life of marine animals around Pico. We aim to collect garbage that we come across during our tours and bring it back with us for recycling on land. Because even a small piece of garbage can be hazardous to marine life. The archipelago of the Azores are green islands and we want to keep them as they are: The island world in the Atlantic Ocean as one of the few oases left on our planet which we should preserve.

Gesellschaft zur Rettung der Delfine (association for the rescue of dolphins)

Kenya Wildlife Safari / Scuba Azores cooperates with Gesellschaft zur Rettung der Delfine and with Dolphin Watch Alliance. Our tour „Delfinkontakt spezial“ is conducted under the direction of leading biologist Angela Ziltener. She is president of the Dolphin Watch Alliance. The organisation has its origins in the project “Dolphin Watch – Natural Underwater Science” which actively campaigns for the research and the protection of dolphins in the tourism hot spot Hurghada/Egypt.

Planting trees with “plant for the planet”

For each litre of consumed fuel at the Azores Kenya Wildlife Safari/Scuba Azores plants trees at the equator in Kenya. Our daughter Maisha Wirth is “ambassador for climate justice” and representative of “plant for the planet” in Kenya. Together with the initiator of the organisation Felix Finkbeiner, Kenya Wildlife Safari/Scuba Azores conducted the first tree academy in Kenya in July 2011. Among the audience were high-ranking UN environmental representatives and the Kenyan Minister of Forestry and Wildlife. The picture below shows Maisha with the musician Ayub Ogada who composed the music for the tree academy in Kenya. Ayub took part in Peter Gabriel’s world ensemble and wrote the theme music for the movie “The Constant Gardener”. Here you can have a look at pictures of our planting activities in January 2013 during the Rhino Camp 2013.

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