24.08.2026 – From Helgoland to Madeira

“Can tope sharks actually swim all the way from Heligoland to Madeira?”
Leo asked me this question on my tour. And the answer is actually: Yes!
The tope shark (Galeorhinus galeus) is a long-distance migratory shark species and can grow up to about two meters in length. In the summer, adult dogfish regularly gather in the waters around Heligoland. But when the water gets colder in the fall, they leave the North Sea and set out on a long journey. To learn more about these migrations, tope sharks off Heligoland were tagged with satellite transmitters. The results show that the animals migrate far out into the open Atlantic. One of the tagged tope shark covered a particularly impressive distance and was tracked all the way to the waters near Madeira. But it’s not just the distance that’s impressive. As soon as the tope sharks reach the open Atlantic, they also dive to impressive depths. During the day, they were sometimes observed at depths of 400 to 600 meters, and occasionally even at depths of more than 700 meters. They are likely following their prey, including squid, which also inhabit deeper water layers.
So Leo has asked a very interesting question! A tope shark that can be observed near Heligoland in the summer could, a few months later, actually be traveling thousands of kilometers away in the Atlantic and perhaps even off the coast of Madeira. Please always feel free to ask any questions you have. Even if we can’t answer them right away, we’re happy to do the research for you!

by Malina Labowsky

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Short-finned pilot whale, Bottlenose dolphin

13:00 Atlantic spotted dolphin

16:30 Atlantic spotted dolphin

Steno

09:30 Short-finned pilot whale, Bottlenose dolphin

13:30 Short-finned pilot whale, Atlantic spotted dolphin

16:30 Atlantic spotted dolphin