06.05.2019 – Shades of grey

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) dominated the sightings on both our boats today….and what a spectacular show they delivered! Our Ribeira Brava had to venture far out into the open ocean to meet a large group of these dolphins, many of which instantly swam up to the bow of our boat and glanced up at their spectators. These surface-active whales often leap and breach high near our boats and the situation today wasn’t any different. One juvenile repeatedly breached at the bow of our traditional boat, flashing its soft white belly at our guests and was also the last individual to leave the boat as our captain steered the boat towards the coastline to head back to the marina.

Bottlenose dolphins are a frequently encountered and well-documented species on the island and generally occur in two ecotypes, both of which can be seen in Madeira. The coastal ecotypes are smaller, light-grey dolphins while the oceanic ecotypes tend to be much larger (up to 4m!!) with a darker grey, almost brown color. The coastal-type Bottlenose have a high site fidelity to the island of Madeira forming the greater part of the species community around the island with a regular recruitment of several oceanic-type individuals. This means that the coastal community also experiences much more frequent encounters with boats and therefore tends to be less interactive than the larger, gutsier oceanic types. We had a mixed group consisting of both ecotypes during both our tours, a concoction of shy and curious animals of a species that never fails to impress us with its dynamic charm and intelligent nature. On the afternoon tour the group of dolphins was close to an area filled with Portuguese Man O’ Wars (Physalia physalis) that added a pink-blue tint to the several shades of grey decorating the Atlantic by the playful dolphins breaking the surface.

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Bottlenose dolphins

Stenella

15:00 Bottlenose dolphins