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.
Marie Bergmans Guide
Marie is a Belgian vet tech who finished her Tourism degree with an internship at Azores Experiences. Her deep love for the ocean and its inhabitants brought her back to the islands.
Elena Deligant Guide
Marine biologist from Italy, knows the company since 2015 when she went WW with us for the first time. Now she's working with us as a sea guide and as an artist.
Renske Steegmans Summer Team
Renske, a Dutch Wildlife Management student, is investigating the impact of whale-watching boats on sperm whale behavior for her bachelor's thesis.
Marilen Gabel Summer Team
Marilen, a German Wildlife Management student, is investigating the impact of whale-watching boats on sperm whale behavior for her bachelor's thesis.
Evelina Doerre Summer Team
Evelina joins our summer team to gain practical experience in wildlife management and sustainable tourism in preparation for her studies.
Chica Lourenço Summer Team
Francisca, a Portuguese, student of marine biology and biotechnology, passionate about cetaceans, is currently part of the team as an intern in order to finish her degree.
Lukas van Herk Summer Team
Lukas is a student from the Netherlands doing an internship at Azores Experiences to learn more about the animals and to gain working experience.
Robin Van der Bijl Summer Team
Robin is a student from the Netherlands doing an internship at Azores Experiences to learn more about the animals and plants but also to gain working experience.
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