30.05.2025 – The glory of the unknown

We always tell our guests that, despite our crews experience, it’s realistically impossible to know what to expect on every tour. Sightings can vary incredibly throughout the day, so we never truly know what awaits us when we set off into the blue expanse of the Atlantic Ocean…and that makes it all so much more exhilarating!

We can, however, ponder on what species can be expected and, as the weather gets more summery, the sightings of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) become more and more frequent. We aren’t complaining, these dolphins are always a pleasure to encounter and, today, they planted smiles on the faces of our guests on all five tours. Spotted dolphins prefer warmer waters making them more likely visitors in the summer months and they are by far the most abundant cetaceans during this time of the year.

The same cannot be said for Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), a species with a high site fidelity to Madeira making it a possible sighting all year round. The other encountered cetaceans today, Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) and Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), can also be encountered all year round but usually turn up as surprise visitors, so guests and crew can always consider themselves lucky to enjoy sightings with these special cetaceans.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins

13:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Sperm whales

13:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins

16:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Striped dolphins