31.05.2025 – Unforgettable and special
June 8, 2025
Today we had a beautiful sighting of the Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus). This dolphin species which we see occasionally in our waters is shy and does not like boats around them. This behaviour and their staking white coloration remind me about a ghost. They get their white coloration from scars which are the result of fights between each other. Young Risso’s dolphins are grey, while very old males tend to be almost completely white.
Apart from this species we were blessed with other wildlife today. We had the deep diving Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), the active Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis), the famous Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). So it was another successful day here in the waters of Madeira.
By Horst Schulte
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Loggerhead sea turtle
13:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins
Stenella
09:30 Bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins
13:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins , Bottlenose dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales
16:00 Risso’s dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Bottlenose dolphin, Short-finned pilot whales
