09.07.2019 – What are the odds

On an average day, we leave our marina in Calheta with an optimistic feeling. Not only because this is a good way to go through life, but also, because we are supported by our skilled and experienced spotter Carlos, our skippers know the seas and animals well and our guides who have developed a keen eye for the creatures of the sea.

Other than this, we have a strong ecosystem in our Madeira waters that supports a large variety of dolphins and whales, both resident or passing by. So, this morning our Stenella managed not only to find both her namesakes: the Atlantic Spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) and the Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruloealba), two beautiful dolphin species but vastly different in behaviour. We also sighted the impressive Sperm-whale (Physeter macrocephalus), the largest toothed predator in the world. After such a lovely morning tour we had high hopes for a great second tour.

Yet as we left the marina a second time that day, we heard no news of sighted animals. Determined as we are, we set out to find them anyways, as many a time, sharp eyes on board can still find dolphins or whales at sea. We tried all the tricks, followed the birds, searched in the high waves, went from West to East and West again scanning the horizon and patrolling the water. And just as we were about ready to throw in the towel, we got the news: our spotter saw something due West in the waves.

The waters west from Calheta are known to be quite a bit rougher, when we leave the shelter the island gives us from the strong northern wind. As our Stenella fought her way through the waves in search for a last chance at success and our brave guests fought together with her, we finally had a sighting!

Now to answer the question in the title, the odds tend to be in our favour. With strong statistics of over 95% on our Stenella we expect to see a familiar species whenever we set out. The odds of today’s last sighting were much lower. This last sighting was not so familiar: the group of shy animals we encountered were most likely Pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata) identified by their size, absence of a beak and sharp dorsal fin. This was an incredibly rare sighting for us, and we were ecstatic to see these shy animals in the wild. This species is easily mistaken for either a Melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra) or sometimes for a False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens).  And as we hardly saw them with their heads out of the water we may never be completely sure.

This is why we love our trips in nature so much, you never know what you get and the ocean is full of surprises, so we keep our gaze on the horizon and hope to see them again.

By Scott Dorssers

Sightings of the day

Stenella

09:00 Atlantic spotted dolphin , Striped dolphin, Sperm-whale

18:00 Most likely Pygmy killer whale