29.12.2022 – Winter and summer

What a calm, beautiful ocean we had the pleasure of venturing out to on this fine day! The warm sun and flat waters almost made it feel like a summer’s day but our sightings very much emphasised that winter had indeed arrived in the waters around Madeira. We encountered a group of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) doing their coast guard rounds near Ponta do Sol and the small group of juveniles even engaged in a bow ride in front of our traditional boat. Bottlenose Dolphins prefer coastal waters here n Madeira, putting them in frequent contact with boats and this often leaves the animals stressed in summer and they display a more evasive behaviour. In winter, with less traffic along the coastline, members of the species are more likely to get curious and approach our boats, so winter is a try winner when it comes to sightings of these impressive animals.

The true winter dolphins here in Madeira, however, are undoubtedly the Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis). These beautiful and incredible agile dolphins prefer the colder time of the year here in Madeira and tend to arrive in large groups, that split into smaller hunting parties as they arrive in Madeira. During the impressive hunts on Halfbeaks (Belone belone) these dolphins leap high into the air, flashing their gorgeous hourglass pattern. They often approach our boats in between these surprise attacks and this typical behaviour allows us to be spectators but also interact with these wonderful animals. 

We saw common dolphins during all our trips today but this winter’s day was wrapped up with a sighting of our summer dolphins. A large pod of curious Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) arrived in front of Calheta in the late afternoon, as if to match the summery conditions out on the Atlantic today.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Bottlenose Dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins

14:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins

Stenella

10:00 Bottlenose Dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins

13:00 Short-beaked common dolphins

15:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins