A summer in Tarifa: from working in a pizzeria to going out to sea.
My life has always been an adventure, and it’s hard to say how and why I ended up visiting some places and working in others. Since 2017, I’ve been working as a seasonal pizza chef in a small Austrian village nestled in the mountains where people come for one reason only: to ski. Two years ago, a Spanish guy from Tarifa joined my team, and as often happens, colleagues end up becoming lifelong friends.
This has been one of my greatest blessings: making international friendships. When I lived in Australia, I attended college where I met people from all over the world, with whom I’m still in touch. I remember my birthday party at Bondi Beach: over 30 guests from at least 20 different countries.
Back in Austria, last winter, Alberto (the Spanish guy) and I were having coffee in a cabin overlooking the Alps. I asked him, “Do you have any contacts for pizzerias in Tarifa? I don’t have any plans for summer 2025 yet.”
The idea of spending a few months in Andalusia, in a seaside town famous for its wind and surfing, really appealed to me. Alberto passed me the contact information of Luciano, an Italian who owns a Neapolitan pizzeria in Tarifa. I contacted him, and within half an hour, I had the job confirmed.
The Strait of Gibraltar, the meeting point between Europe and Africa
As luck would have it, Alberto’s uncle was the captain of a Turmares boat, the organization that conducts whale watching in the Strait of Gibraltar. I arrived in Tarifa on July 20th, settled into my home and work, and Alberto immediately introduced me to his uncle Pedro. A few days later, I was already at sea for my first whale watching trip.
It was then that I started researching the presence of the Iberian orca in the Strait of Gibraltar. “How absurd,” I thought. “Orcas in the Mediterranean! That could be a unique story worth documenting.”
Common dolphins and pilot whales: the first sightings
The last sightings of orcas had been just a few days before my arrival, which gave me hope. During our first trips, we saw numerous pods of common dolphins swimming in schools against the backdrop of the African coast: a breathtaking natural spectacle.
The thought of being there, suspended between Europe and Africa, documenting cetaceans free in the open sea, thrilled me immensely. For over a month and a half, however, there were no orcas: only dolphins of various species and pilot whales (here called Calderón Común).
The rare Iberian killer whales: characteristics and curiosities
In the meantime, I have become passionate about gathering information on the Iberian orcas, a subpopulation of just thirty individuals, eight of which are semi-resident in the Strait.
These cetaceans, known as killer whales for their hunting skills, can also be cunning and opportunistic.
Bluefin tuna fishing and Spanish tuna traps
The waters of the Strait are famous for fishing bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), a key economic resource for both Spain and Morocco. Every afternoon, the coasts fill with traditional tuna traps and fishing boats.
Orcas and fishermen: a surprising encounter in the Strait
The killer whales have learned that bluefin tuna fishing boats represent an easy source of food for them. They often approach and feed on the tired tuna, attached to the fishermen’s lines. Some report only recovering the tuna’s heads; the rest has already been eaten by the killer whales.
For me it was an exciting encounter, which combined nature photography, travel and adventure.
Traveling and Documenting: Emotions of a Phototraveler
This experience in the Strait of Gibraltar, among orcas, dolphins, and bluefin tuna, will remain one of the most intense of my life as a photojournalist. A memory that combines friendships born by chance, sea voyages, and close encounters with wild nature.
