31.03.2026 – The beauty of transition seasons

The changing of the weather and the season is exciting for everyone! The change of temperature demands flexibility in the wardrobe of our clients (we say onion look all the way for spring here in Madeira9 and the ocean is teeming with life from all seasons.

Today we enjoyed visits from our small seasonal dolphin species; the Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) and the Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis). Both these beautiful dolphins are the most abundant species in their respective seasons; spotted dolphins are frequently encountered in summer and the common dolphins in winter. The fact that both species were encountered today is a real sign that we are in a transition season.

Encountering the biggest whales that roam our oceans in our waters is another sign of transition seasons. Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) and Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are typically encountered in spring. In the last days we have had Fin whales circling through the waters of the Southwest, a behaviour that is difficult to decipher.

An abundance of little critters at the surface such as the Bubble raft snail (Janthina janthina) and the Portuguese Man O’War (Physalia physalis) also can be expected at this time of the year. So, as you can imagine, spring and autumn are the favourite seasons of many of the Lobosonda crew members!

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Short-beaked common dolphins

13:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Fin whale, Short-beaked common dolphins

Stenella

09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins

13:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Fin whale, Short-beaked common dolphins