19.04.2022 – An exchange

Responsible whale-watching is an exchange. We drive out onto the ocean hoping for the best and for the animals to be willing to interact but, at the end of the day, it all burns down to respect and understanding during an encounter. The quality of a sighting and the reaction of the animals can be determined in moments through the preliminary information from our spotter and the careful manoeuvres of our captains. Teamwork that is directed towards minimising our impact on the animals is essential in what we do and this in turn requires mutual trust and empathy.

While the teamwork between spotter and skipper determines both the approach and manoeuvres around the animals, helping our clients understand our strategy and what we try to avoid is equally important. This is where the guide steps in. The guides job goes beyond informing our guests about the animals and their importance for our oceans. An essential part of what we do is emphasising that it must be done in a responsible manner and explaining how our team is making this happen together.

Efficient teamwork is especially important with species that nurture a strong relationship to Madeira’s waters, particularly those that prefer to remain close to its coastline. The Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and the Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) are two delphinid species that spend most of their time within 4 nautical miles off the coast of the island,  which puts them in frequent contact with boats. Encounters with both species demands extra care, especially if calves are around. This caution was rewarded with brilliant sightings with both species during all our tours today although the windy conditions later in the afternoon made finding cetaceans quite a challenge for our traditional boat, which unfortunately returned to the marina without a sighting of cetaceans but managed a short encounter with a basking Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta).

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins

14:30 No cetacean sighting

Stenella

10:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins

13:30 Short-beaked common dolphins

16:00 Short-beaked common dolphins