09.10.2019 – 21st century dolphin

Both our boats set out to find cetaceans out on the Atlantic this morning, with our zodiac searching for very specific dolphins for our snorkelling tour; the cheeky and interactive Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis). Our snorkelling tours have been very popular and extremely successful amongst our guests this year; after all, meeting a dolphin in the water is simply magical! Unfortunately, this one turned out to be unsuccessful in regards to the snorkeling but that didn’t stop us from providing our guests with a memorable trip! Two groups of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and a fast-moving herd of Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorynchus) were sighted on both trips this morning. In the afternoon our zodiac managed sightings with the same two species as well as with Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) and a Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta). On all our tours, we could also admire the beautiful sailing boat Santa Maria Manuela, which arrived from Lisbon in Madeira this morning and briefly docked at Camara do Lobos and Funchal harbour.

Finding what we intend to find out on the Atlantic Ocean isn’t a given situation in this day and age since it sure isn’t easy to be a dolphin or any other marine animal in the 21st century. Dolphins are still being exploited, sold, hunted and slaughtered in so many parts of the world. Moreover, our false sense of empathy often leads people to mistreating them during encounters in the wild , a practice which we do our best to handle respectfully and responsibly through passive observations during our tours. Since observations in the wild can not be guaranteed, others settle for meeting dolphins in captivity where the poor animals have no choice but to interact with paying customers. 

Dolphins also face indirect threats through overfishing, climate change, chemical pollution and noise pollution. The latter often leads to mass standings of the animals similar to the one recently reported on the Cape Verde islands. The bodies of over 150 Melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra) were scattered over a long, sandy beach on the former Portuguese colony. Despite the desperate efforts of volunteers, including officials, residents and tourists, bulldozers were forced to bury 136 of these magnificent dolphins. Similar to pilot whales, Melon-headed whales also belong to the deep-diving, mysterious Blackfish group, a group of dolphins that often tend to strand in masses because, even when facing certain death, the animals stick together. The reasons for this tragedy are still being investigated by experts that list navigational errors due to either noise pollution, rapidly falling tides or extreme weather conditions amongst the possible reasons. 

Whatever the actual reason may be, humans can’t help but feel that we have contributed to this in one way or another. That being said, we can be all the more grateful for the wonderful encounters we are still able to enjoy out at sea and these should further motivate us to change our ways and the manner in which we treat the creatures we share our unique planet with. 

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales

Stenella 

09:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales, Loggerhead turtle

15:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales, Loggerhead turtle