31.03.2018 – Spending Easter with dolphins

We kick-started our Easter weekend with the first snorkeling trip of the year involving some very shy Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis). The group was very small and quite dispersed, making it difficult to approach the animals and this also lead to very brief encounters with the animals in the water. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic start and our wonderful guests enjoyed the presence of these elegant swimmers making our efforts worthwhile.

The short-beaked common dolphins can be encountered around the Portuguese archipelago throughout the year but are more abundant during the winter months and in spring. The name Common dolphin can be misleading; the name is a result of their frequent mention in ancient Greek and Roman literature and should not be understood as a demonstration of their abundance. In contrast to populations in the Atlantic, this species is infact highly threatened in the Mediterranean region due to unsustainable fishing methods and prey depletion. The animals are easy recognizable from the boat through their characteristic yellow flank, which develops and intensifies with age. They are one of the fastest cetaceans occurring here in Madeira but often slow down to bowride along our vessels, much to the joy of everyone on board.

The enthusiastic guests on our afternoon trips also had encounters with these animals as well as a sighting involving a group of large Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) that were hunting amongst several Corey’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea).

by Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Stenella

09:30 Short-beaked common dolphins (Snorkeling)

15:00 Short-beaked common dolphins

Ribeira Brava

14:30 Short-beaked common dolphins