Plasticrust
January 3, 2020
31.12.2019 – A new decade
January 8, 2020
As most of you already know, whale-watching is very dependent on both weather conditions and the presence of dolphins or whales around the islands waters. The southeast wind whirled up the waters in front of Calheta today, making them too rough for tours aboard our traditional boat. Our zodiac, however, raced out onto the big blue twice today… but things sure weren’t easy. Generally speaking, one can consider Madeira to be a pitstop of sorts for marine mammals crossing the Atlantic; some stick around longer while others only stop by for a few hours. Either way the underwater environment of the island is very dynamic and diverse, so we are always ready for the surprises and challenges that await us out on the Atlantic.
Today was indeed a challenging day for our crew at sea. While the first tour in the morning unfortunately ended without a sighting, the guests on the second trip were luckier and enjoyed the company of two Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). This dynamic duo swam cheekily alongside our zodiac for some time and we couldn’t help but wonder about the relationship between these two animals. Bottlenose dolphins also use the island as a sort of pit-stop but tend to stick around a little longer, allowing scientists to identify groups that are resident to the island’s waters. These communities, however, are fluid in structure and ever-changing with the only constants being pairs or trios of animals. So perhaps the pair of dolphins we met today have been travelling together for a while and are even close friends!
Either way we were happy to encounter this mischievous pair of buddies that were just as much of a dynamic duo as our captain and his little assistant. As the saying goes; birds of a feather flock together..
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Stenella
10:00 No sighting
15:00 Bottlenose dolphins
