29.05.2024 – Coincidence ?
June 5, 2024
31.05.2024 – Waiting for Whales
June 7, 2024
Today’s ocean encounters were determined by one resident species, the Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Often occurring close to the coasts, this species is one of the best studied around the island. While cetaceans are generally difficult to study, we can try our best by taking photographs during our tours. Scientists are able to establish catalogues of identification-photos, as every single dolphin looks different. Just as our fingerprints, scars and different shaped dorsal fins help to recognize every single individual. This is how we know today that part of the population of this species is resident to Madeira, occurring repeatedly over the seasons and years. It is wonderful to be able to participate a little bit in this knowledge, only by joining a whale watching tour and taking photographs.
The detail of every single dolphin is something hard to observe for many of our guests, as it is often the first and breathtaking encounter with these beautiful animals. Bottlenose dolphins are large, powerful creatures, and today, they were particularly calm and curious around our boats, often riding our bow. We could hear their powerful exhalation right next to us, leaving most of us speechless and astonished.
On most of our today’s tours, we had quite some time to explore, coming across other ocean inhabitants as the Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) and Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), Cory’s shearwater (Calonectris borealis), Portuguese man’o war (Physalia physalis) and Flying fish (Exocoetidae).
By Sarah Kather
Sightings of the day
Click on each sighting to access the photo gallery of the correspondent trip
Ribeira Brava
Stenella
09:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, Striped dolphins
16:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins
