08.09.2023 – Northwest 

Madeira is a lovely island and as diverse in its landscape as the marine life that visits its waters. This is largely due to the mountain range separating the North and South side of the island. Since Madeira mainly receives wind from the north, the south is generally thought to be the calmer part of the island but even here things can vary. Strong winds from the east or west can be accelerated or diverted by large structures along the coastline like Cabo Girão. 

Summer are generally dominated by Northeast winds, which leave the southwestern waters, our search area, completely placid and calm. As the transition seasons begin, so do the Northwest winds, bringing choppy conditions to the waters around Calheta. 

Unfortunately, we had the latter today and did our best to face the windy conditions to find cetaceans out at sea. Just two days earlier we had found a pod of Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the wind so we were hoping for the very best. Sadly our team was unable to find cetaceans during all our tours today but our very brave guests enjoyed the wild ride and appreciated the effort anyway!

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava 

09:30 No sightings

Stenella

09:30 No sightings

14:00 No sightings