07.07.2022 – Good things

We were lucky to find beautiful conditions out on the Atlantic Ocean this morning, which allowed us to fully appreciate a few wonderful sightings on board both our boats. After guiding our boats to a dispersed group of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), our spotter soon located two groups of Madeira’s Stenella dolphins. A group of Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) and Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) were travelling further out at sea and provided a wonderful contrast to the Bottlenose in both group dynamic and their reaction to boats.

Both Stenella species as well as the closely related Bottlenose dolphins were seen during the afternoon tours. While the Bottlenose dolphins displayed their usual dynamic behaviour and the spotted were their usual curious and playful selves, the Striped dolphins at the end of the day delivered a rarely interactive behaviour. Our zodiac carefully approached this last pod of the day and our captain patiently waited for the pod to show some reaction to the boat. Suddenly we had a few dolphins gliding elegantly through the waves of our bow, flashing their characteristic stripe pattern as they leapt alongside us. Admiring these beautiful dolphins up close like this is a rare experience here in Madeira since they tend to be more evasive towards boats and sprint away when we approach. Good things do indeed come to those who wait! It was a magnificent end to a day full of dolphin species that our team has encountered countless times before, but never fail to surprise us!

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Striped dolphins

15:00 Bottlenose dolphins

Stenella

10:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Striped dolphins

14:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins

17:00 Striped dolphins