The company was founded in 2012 by Filipe Ávila and Pedro Filipe. They both have great passion for the Azores which results in the best and most authentic experiences for customers.
Filipe has been working in tourism for quite some time now, guiding visitors, uncovering secrets and telling stories. By chance, he met Pedro – from Portugal mainland, passionate for the Azores and a “whale geek” – who he found to be the perfect partner to start this company.
Filipe mostly works on land, and Pedro on the ocean, which is the perfect combination. The mission is simple: to provide the best experiences possible. We wish to show everyone who joins us our knowledge and passion for the islands.
Team
Pedro Filipe Manager and Skipper
Fell in love with an Island girl, and has lived in Faial since 2003. The whales are his life, and you can tell by the way he talks about and executes his job. He has had many jobs prior to this one, but now he has “the best job in the world!"
Filipe Ávila Manager and Land Guide
Born and raised in Faial, he is the brain of the operation! Not only does he have great organising skills, he has a deep and proud knowledge about his Island and its traditions. He is also an amazing storyteller; he loves nature and the outdoors. He is the main guide on our land activities.
Marc Perrussel Guide, Naturalist and Photographer
Marc is a french experienced sailor and photographer. By chance (a happy one!) he crossed paths with us and his passion for the whales and dolphins became common ground. A gentle man, great listener and great friend.
Carla Gomes Marine Biologist and Marine Educator
Carla is Pedro´s wife. She is a Marine Biologist and a native of Faial, she dedicates her life to her project Oceans-on® which she founded and developed. Loves the Ocean and the Children! Carla believes that, on the Ocean, the animals are watching us!
Fátima Patrocínio Designer
Fátima is our designer, she is in charge of the most creative parts of the operation. Always available to help in all situations, her presence and kindness are noticeable.
Marta Riera Buch Oceanographer and Guide
Marta is our lead guide at sea. Graduated in Marine Sciences and Oceanographer from Mataró (Barcelona), she is focused on developing a sperm whales’ catalogue.
Hugo Martins Guide
Born in Lisbon, Hugo has been passionate about Faial since 2010, when he made the island his home. He is a land guide and has a deep knowledge of Faial, its traditions and history.
Ana Casaca Marine Biologist and Guide
Originally from Porto, Ana is a biologist, and also the responsible for our social media, who came to Faial to be closer to the animals and the ocean.
Susanne Rohl Front office
Born in Germany, Susanne moved recently from the Algarve to Faial. She is in charge of managing bookings and organizing our external gift shop.
Max Polka Summer Team
Max is a student at the Göttingen University. He’s doing his Bachelor’s thesis on tourism. Volunteering he’s able to gain insights into Faial whale watching.
Rozemarijn H. Summer Team
Rozemarijn is joining us from the Netherlands for her internship at Azores Experiences. She studies Ecology & Wildlife and has a strong passion for nature.
Tim Wouters Summer Team
Tim, an Eco & Wildlife student from the Netherlands, is interning to learn about the Azores' nature, focusing on the ocean and whales.
Catarina Moura Summer Team
Catarina studies marine biology in Peniche. She joined us because she is passionate about the sea, the Azores, and wants to be friends with the whales.
Sterre Damstra Summer Team
Sterre, a guide deeply passionate about the ocean, is studying her Bachelor's Degree to help reconnect people with the sea and inspire respect and care for the marine world.
Lena Federl Summer Team
Lena, from Germany, is studying geoecology at the University of Tübingen. She is doing her internship with us as she has always been a huge fan of the sea and dolphins in particular.
Tanaïs Néel Summer Team
Tanaïs, from France, during her transatlantic trip in 2020, she met us and fall in love with the whales. She decided to returned to Faial for voluntering with us.
Agnès Muzas Summer Team
Agnès, from Spain, is an environmental biologist. Ever since she first saw cetaceans, she wanted to share her passion and admiration for the ocean with everyone.
Clara Egurbide Summer Team
Clara, from Spain, studies Biology and Biotechnology. She came to the Azores to connect with nature and learn as much as she can about the ocean.
Bente Summer Team
Bente studies Eco & Wildlife at Yuverta and is currently doing her internship on Faial. Passionate about marine life her entire life, she’s gaining hands-on experience with the ocean and its fascinating sea creatures.
Esmee Baars Summer Team
Esmee, an Eco and Wildlife student from the Netherlands, is joining us for her internship. She has a passion for learning about nature and everything connected to it.
Charissa Menkhorst Summer Team
Charissa is joining us from The Netherlands for her internship. She is an Eco and wildlife student, and deeply passionate about mammals.
Mafalda Ferreira Summer Team
Passionate about marine life, Mafalda, a biology student from Lisbon, joins us for a learning experience in the Azores.
Laurens Summer Team
Laurens, from the Netherlands, studies Ecology and Wildlife and is here for an internship. He is passionate about animals and their ecosystems.
Our team is dynamic! Filipe and Pedro are always present and available, but every year , new members join us,
adding value, passion, action and quality to our work.
If, like us, you are passionate about the ocean and nature, you wish to learn more and acquire experience in the tourism industry,
you can join our team via internship applications or volunteering.
Internships
We value a dynamic and diverse team, and we always look forward to teach as well as learn, and grow with everyone who joins us. We firmly believe that learning within a work environment is a fundamental tool to those who graduate from high school, university or even to someone with a masters. So, we wish that our interns become more qualified, learn new concepts and techniques, allowing them to become an added value to our team.
At the moment, our main areas of interest are:
- Marine biology
- Nature guides
- Tourism
- Business and Management
- Communication and Multimedia
You can look up these internship programmes:
EURODISSEIA | www.eurodyssee.eu
this is a European programme, providing 3 to 7 months internships to foreign youngsters, between 18 and 30 years of age, looking for a job. It allows the students to acquire professional experience, simultaneously allowing the opportunity to learn a foreign language and improve their knowledge of it.
PROGRAMA ESTAGIAR | www.estagiar.azores.gov.pt
This programme is aimed at Azorean youngsters, recently graduated from technical courses or university, that wish to begin their professional career.
Volunteering
A volunteer is someone who “freely, responsibly and without mental reserve, commits to, according to his or her personal ability and free time, develop volunteering activities within the organization promoting the activities”.
In Azores Experiences, we provide training to all volunteers, hoping that in the end of the period, they leave enriched with the experience and spread the word about their time with us!
So, we are looking for volunteers that are:
- Passionate for the ocean and nature.
- Curious about the surrounding environment.
- Proactive in life.
- Supportive with the fellow human.
- Fluent in English and/or another language.
Duration of the volunteering:
June, July and August | minimum: 1 month
Rest of the season | minimum: two weeks
Our Customers!
Throughout the years, from all over the world, many people have already experienced adventures with us. Some of them, more than customers, became friends! Staying in touch and having returning customers, showing that they did not forget us, helps us realise our work is really worth the effort and means a lot to so many!
Licenses and Registries