24.09.2023 – Record holder
October 2, 2023
26.09.2023 – Encounter Chronicles
October 4, 2023
Finding Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) for our snorkeling activity has not been easy at all for our crew in the past two weeks. The spotted are by far the most abundant cetacean species during the summer months but, this year, they seemed to have vanished a little early on in the year. Have they already left Madeira for warmer waters? Are there pods in the northern waters of the island that just prefer it there? Are they coming back before the end of summer? We don’t know the answers to any of these questions but we sure miss those little cheeky dolphins.
The absence of spotted dolphins didn’t rob us of our joy at encountering a relaxed pod of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) this morning, that were foraging just a nautical mile offshore.
Our tours were filled with animals that can be categorised as hard to get, to say the least. Blainville’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris), members of the elusive Mesoplodon genus, often engage in deep dives that can be significantly long and not worth sticking around for. Our team usually waits the time interval that is observed ahead of the encounter by our spotter and hopes they resurface. Today they did and on both trips the encounters were absolutely breathtaking.
Another popularly evasive species, that is ironically enough the closest relative of the spotted dolphin that visits Madeira, is the Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba). Our crew managed some lovely sightings with leaping subgroups today that are thought to fragment off larger pods in the open ocean to enjoy the safety of the islands waters with their little calves. Naturally, these dolphins are cautious with their little ones and often only allow us brief moments to admire them. This, however, makes us all the more grateful we are able to cherish those moments at all.
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:30 Bottlenose dolphins
Stenella
09:30 Bottlenose dolphins
14:00 Blainville’s beaked whales, Striped dolphins
17:00 Blainville’s beaked whales, Striped dolphins
