08.08.2018 – Summer dolphins

Probably the most playful specie of all cetaceans around Madeira are the Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis). We encountered those lovely ocean dwellers during all trips of the day including a successful snorkeling tour in the morning during which we have been in the water with more than 30 animals.

The Spotted dolphins can be seen around the island year-round. Looking at our records from 2007 until 2017 – https://www.lobosonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/180608_A1_print_v8_2017.pdf – the sighting rates are relatively low in winter and spring, strongly increase in May and peak in July and August. So, at the moment is the best time to see those lovely animals which we call our “summer dolphins”. It is always a great pleasure to have them around the boat as they almost guarantee a great show with very close approaches to the vessel and lots of surface activity of big groups.

The Atlantic spotted dolphins reach a length of 1.5 up to 2.3 m and a maximum weight of 140 kg. Like in all dolphin species, the males are slightly bigger compared to the female animals. Characteristic is the slender beak and the well-defined melon which forms the rounded forehead. The distinctive bright and dark spots contrasting from the grey ground color increase with the age of the dolphins. Juveniles under 3 or 4 years exhibit none of those blotches at all.

Apart from their beautiful appearance, the most amazing about an encounter with the spotted dolphins is their interactive behavior: they come in very close, seem to enjoy surfing in the bow wave and occasionally show spectacular jumps up to several meters through the air. Hopefully, the big pods of up to 50 animals we regularly see will stay around for a long time this summer and continue pleasing us with their presence for many more times!

by Jan-Christopher Fischer

Sightings of the day

Stenella

08:30 (snorkeling) Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins

12:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Striped dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales, Loggerhead turtle

18:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales

Ribeira Brava

09:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales

17:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins