30.04.2022 – Best prepared

Guests often ask our crew how far out our spotter is able to search for cetaceans using his binoculars and, to simplify our explanation, we often simply say “quite far”. A spotter’s importance  in what we do goes far beyond finding animals. The objective is to have our crew at sea best prepared for the situation at sea. Our spotter’s experience and sharp eyes have enabled so many beautiful things for our guests and, unlike the crew at sea, he usually isn’t present on board to enjoy the fruits of his hard work. Today his expertise led our team to a group of Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and 10 nautical miles offshore to a group of Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus), a relatively rare species to observe here in Madeira which also happen to be his favourite cetaceans. The duration of the tour was longer than expected but our Stenella returned with some very happy guests.

In the afternoon I had the pleasure of enjoying wonderful sightings with some Short-beaked common dolphins as well as with a group of Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), this time with our usual spotter, Carlos, working aboard our traditional boat and another spotter taking over for him on land. If the situation presents itself, our crew often switches positions and this helps members of the team empathise with the work of others. Our Stenella enjoyed the same sighting but, the evasive nature of the animals demanded extra care on the part of both our captains and we all kept the encounter as brief as possible.

Timid or evasive dolphins often prompt our team to make the most of encounters with other marine life, such as basking Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) and the beautiful Portuguese Man O’War (Physalis physalis). Apart from making the most of every moment at sea for our guests, our team also does this to emphasise that every marine encounter should be appreciated and, judging by the smiles on our guests faces when we returned to the marina, we definitely managed that today!

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

14:30 Short-beaked common dolphins, Striped dolphins

Stenella

10:00 Risso’s dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins

15:00 Short-beaked common dolphins, Striped dolphins