24.12.2019 – Festive gifts

In the Northern hemisphere Christmas time is generally depicted as a time of family gatherings in a cosy environment, while outside the weather is usually cold and snowy.  As some of our guests have probably understood in the course of their stay in Madeira, the Christmas season is much warmer here with the exception of some of the chillier, windy days. On this Christmas morning the sun was shining and the wind gradually picked up as our zodiac sped out onto the wide blue Atlantic in search of dolphins. Our spotter soon directed us to a group of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis), probably the most interactive cetaceans that can be encountered in these waters. The presence of tiny calves in the compact group did not stop the animals from approaching the Stenella and checking us out, granting us a wonderfully close encounter despite the rather difficult conditions.

Enjoying such sightings during Christmas time prompts us to acknowledge them as gifts from the Atlantic. This was my first Christmas tour here in Madeira and I personally couldn’t have asked for a better sighting since the spotted are one of my absolute favourites. In reality, however, every single sighting is a gift. We must remember that whale-watching should never happen at the expense of the well-being of the animals or the health of our oceans. It must be done consciously and responsibly and should fill us with humility and gratitude that we share the planet with such wonderful creatures. So if we consider such sightings as a gift from the Atlantic, we should eventually give the ocean something in return. One attitude we can adopt for the new upcoming decade is generosity towards our natural world, after all it has given us so much.

I hope all my guests on board had a wonderful Christmas with their loved ones in Madeira and that this gift from the Atlantic will be a beautiful memory for them.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Stenella

10:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins