12.05.2023 – Shapes and colours
May 19, 2023
15.05.2023 – Their choice
May 21, 2023
Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) belong to the favourite cetacean species visiting Madeira for several members of our team and several clients. Their curious nature makes any snorkelling or whale-watching tour unforgettable and allows us all to gain a little insight into their incredible lives!
The large group of spotted dolphins this morning enabled both our boats to share the sighting; our traditional boat accompanied one subgroup while our snorkelling participants got into the water with another. These smaller subgroups often consist of animals from the same age group, a feature which is easily observed thanks to their characteristic spot pattern which intensifies as the animals age. After a careful assessment of our boat and snorkelers the animals often continue to hang out around our boats, mingling and socialising nearby. Like their fellow Stenella cousins, spotted dolphins are also nocturnal hunters and forage for squid at night using their sonar.
In the afternoon the spotted dolphins often fragment into smaller groups and move further offshore, making them a little more challenging to find. After a brief encounter with the closely related Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), our team searched the waters five nautical miles from the coastline to eventually find two small subgroups of spotted dolphins who, once again, didn’t disappoint as they leapt and swam alongside our vessels. How wonderful it is to have our summer dolphins back in action in our waters, it just gets us even more excited for the upcoming summer season!
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins
13:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins
Stenella
09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins
13:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins
