BWB – The flower festival
January 24, 2026
Both our boats set out onto a sunny and warm ocean this afternoon, where we were finally reunited with some frequent but also some surprise visitors on this side of the Atlantic.
After leaving the marina, our traditional boat was welcomed with a surprise sighting of a Mediterranean monk sea; (Monachus monachus). These lovely creatures form part of a colony of around 33 animals that call the Desertas Islands their home but sightings near Madeira Island, particularly along coastlines where fish farms are located, have become more and more frequent.
Our crew soon left the area to offshore waters to encounter two of Madeira’s most important predators; the Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and the Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhnychus). Both species are great to encounter when it comes to highlighting the intelligence and emotional sophistication of cetaceans during an encounter. Bottlenose dolphins are impressively adaptive creatures, mimicking other species during a sighting and opportunistically foraging near fishing boats and aquacultures. Today, the hunched swimming of one Bottlenose confirmed that pilot whales were close by and, surely enough, a family of these larger delphiniums began to approach our boat. The solidarity amongst members of these family entities is instantly tangible during a sighting, and we even managed to make out a few tiny calves in the second family we encountered.
In the meantime, our speedboat enjoyed the same sightings and also had their own little surprise encounter. An Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) was gliding above the southwestern waters, after likely experiencing disorientation through the numerous storms of the past weeks. Sightings of these birds are rare in Madeira as they tend to prefer colder areas and we hope the little guy soon finds his way back to his usual habitat.
By Paula Thake
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
13:00 Bottlenose dolphins, Mediterranean monk seal
Stenella
13:30 Bottlenose dolphins
