25.04.2026 – Ocean Encounters
May 2, 2026
This year Madeira is seeing phenomenon it has not seen before – tides of By the wind sailors (Velella velella) washing ashore, swarms of Bubble raft snails (Janthina janthina) at the surface, groups of Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). Obviously, we are definitely not complaining about the latter one, but it is one of many unusual events occurring in our waters this year. Our oceans are changing rapidly and often science has trouble keeping up and understanding the implications of such changes and what they may indicated.
What is for sure is that all marine animals depend on the movement of currents, regardless of their position in the marine food web. Currents determine the availability of nutrients for plankton, which in turn feed animals that serve as prey for larger predators such as cetaceans. The presence and migrations of larger baleen whales as well as the prey availability for smaller dolphins like the Short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) or the Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) depend on them. Changes in currents can also affect the deep, causing shifts in prey populations which could impact Blainville’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) and other deep sea dwellers.
So these recent phenomena could indicate some change in these currents. It is a theory…we obviously do not know and maybe biologists would disagree. Our team, however, has accepted the reality that we are operating on a changing ocean and that we will face many phenomenon which we will be unable to explain to our clients.
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:00 Blainville’s beaked whales, Fin whales
13:00 Blainville’s beaked whales, Fin whales
Stenella
09:30 Fin whales, Short-beaked common dolphins, Striped dolphins
13:30 Blainville’s beaked whales, Fin whales
16:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins, Striped dolphins
