06.03.2026 – On sonorous seas

The oceans are a magnificent and mysterious place, and our days out on the Atlantic can be full of surprises at our front door or characterised by long searches. Our company makes a point to assure our clients that awe do our best but that sometimes, despite our greatest efforts, we may not achieve a sighting. We feel that especially during times like these, where information and digital delights are at our fingertips, we need to highlight that we cannot control the ocean and foster an environment where we accept things as they come.

Today, to sum it up, was a difficult day in regards to sightings for our Ribeira Brava. Ourt traditional boat does not have the search range that our Stenella has, making it harder to get to animals on time and that was exactly the problem on both our tours today. The Stenella managed to get to Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) moving very fast far offshore this morning, while Ribeira Brava didn’t stand a chance at reaching the animals on both her tours today and unfortunately returned without a sighting.

To make up for the difficult searches I have to say it was an amazing day in regards to our clients. They were wonderfully patient and accepting to our philosophy, may even telling stories that I couldn’t help but share online.

The one Ill be sharing today is that of the “On sonorous seas” project, a project created by a relative of one of my clients on this mornings trip. The project began after numerous stranding events happened on the shores of the Hebridean Islands in 2018, many of which involved Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris), the deepest mammal known that also occurs here in Madeira. The strandings were dubbed a unique morality event, likely linked to the increased presence of military sonar activity in the region. To increase public awareness on the issue, artist Mhairi Killian, hosted a collaborative multi-media art exhibition in 2022, mixing whale bone sculptures with petri and  a soundscape of hydrophone recordings, that included the sounds and songs of whales. Mhairi had joined the expedition to collect these recordings, that should serve to highlight the importance of the biosonar to cetaceans and what a deadly disturbance the military activity presents for these poor animals.

Hearing such incredible stories from clients always reminds me of how multi-faceted conservation is and how open we must be to it to preserve these precious parts of our natural world. And thanks to people like Mhairi, many ocean travellers are now finally aware of the sonorous seas they are travelling through.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:00 No sightings

13:00 No sightings

Stenella

09:30 Short-beaked common dolphins