30.03.2022 – Eastenders

All the dolphins we encountered at sea were in a hurry today…and, for whatever reason, practically all were dashing east. We prefer to avoid the waters around Funchal if we can since it’s not our usual search area and we know that the animals already have several boats observing them there. Today Funchal was our only shot at a sighting so our zodiac immediately took course to the waters near the capital to find an enormous group of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) that were hurriedly swimming east in the presence of their calves. Of course, we weren’t the only boat at the sighting and decided to keep it short when we saw the several boats approaching from Funchal. Our spotter soon found another group of dolphins, or better said, a pair! Two Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were also heading east and doing so so discreetly that they remained undetected by the other boats from Funchal. We drifted parallel to the animals for some time before returning to Calheta and preparing for our afternoon tour.

In the afternoon our Ribeira Brava had to search far and wide for cetaceans before practically stumbling across a group of Bottlenose dolphins in Cabo Girão, this time the pod consisted of at least a dozen individuals and (fortunately) the group was heading westward! Unlike the dolphins this morning, this group took the opportunity to enjoy a ride in the waves of our bow and made everyone on board smile in gratitude. We ended the day on a fabulous note and enjoyed a lovely tour along Madeiras coastline before docking back at the marina.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

14:30 Bottlenose dolphins

Stenella

10:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins