09.10.2021 – Nothing comes easy

There are days when the Atlantic completely spoils us with cetacean sightings and others where finding them really doesn’t come easy. Lately, many groups have encountered further east between the waters in front of Cabo Girão and Funchal. Today belonged to the latter and began with a long search for Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) for our guests to snorkel with. Surely enough, the sharp eyes of our spotter located some animals further east and soon we were graced by the presence of a group of Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus). The animals were swiftly moving east, dashing powerfully through the waves and lifting their enormous heads as they did so.

Pilot whales are one of the most documented and photographed species that visits Madeira and the archipelagos waters constitute an important part of the species home range. They often arrive in large groups of up to 30 animals and can be observed resting peacefully at the surface in between their metabolically expensive foraging dives. Today the pilot whales were the only cetaceans that could be sighted along the south coast of the island, making the group subject to more observations by boats, leaving the animals stressed and in a hurry. On our afternoon trip aboard the Stenella, our team had trouble finding the animals in the choppy waters but managed to deliver a lovely sighting in the end, which we kept very brief to avoid stressing the animals any further.

Despite its unquestionable charm, our traditional boat can not cover the search range managed by our zodiac and Funchal is way out of its league. Today it returned to Calheta with no cetacean sighting but managed a wonderful cruise along the picturesque coastline of the island.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 No cetacean sightings

Stenella

09:30 Short-finned pilot whales

15:00 Short-finned pilot whales