20.07.2018 – Kids of the ocean

Today was a very nice day out on the sea. The conditions have been perfect when we started our morning trip with Ribeira Brava. There were almost no waves, the water was mirroring some light clouds in the distance, calm as a lake, deep blue all around us.

Those are great conditions to see turtles and we were lucky enough to encounter those marine reptiles today. They come up to the surface to breathe, warm up in the sun and relax. The animals around Madeira are mainly juvenile Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). They are 1 to 9 years old and originate from the Caribbean area, Florida or the Cape Verde.

But during this cruise we did not only see turtles but also some dolphins. Almost five miles offshore a huge pod of Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) came along our way. Those dolphins are not the most interactive around the boat. So, they kept a bit of a distance but we have seen spectacular formations of more than 20 animals jumping at once.

It was a great pleasure to see at least one very young dolphin in the group. This baby didn’t join the synchrony of the other animals but also came out of the water several times. A newborn Striped dolphin is around 1 m long and weighs not more than 10 to 15 kg.

In the waters off Calheta, we also occasionally see the offspring of other dolphin species and sometimes even young whales. To see one of those kids of the ocean is fascinating. Hopefully, they will grow fast and join us around the boat many more times.

by Jan-Christopher Fischer

Sightings of the day

Stenella

09:00 Blainville beaked-whales, Striped dolphins

12:00 No sightings

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Striped dolphins, Loggerhead turtles

13:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Loggerhead turtles