10.06.2021 – Portugal day

We can all agree that Portugal, a fantastic country with an incredible seafaring and trade history and picturesque coastlines, deserves to be celebrated. Today Madeira commemorated the day with the country’s president in Funchal while our team took its celebrations out to our favourite place and one that has shaped the country history; the Atlantic Ocean.

Our Stenella’s arrival on the high seas was immediately welcomed by a group of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) that contributed to the celebratory sentiment of the day with their energetic approach to our boat. The freckled dolphins leapt alongside our boat and drifted elegantly through the waves at our bow, before darting to the rear and catching the waves generated by Stenellas powerful engines. Spotted dolphins love surfing, which also happens to be a water-sport that the Portuguese are famously good at.

Next. Up was the largest of all toothed whales and a species which in my opinion is emblematic for the entire country. Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) were busy hunting in the deep waters far outside Madalena do Mar and we managed to encounter two members of the group as they rested at the surface. Back in the day, these moments of rest at the surface were a dangerous past-time for Sperm whales in Portuguese waters. The species was hunted relentlessly for decades, with the oil reserve in its spermaceti organ which the animals use to communicate, hunt and navigate, being the prized target of such pursuits. With the dramatic decimation of Sperm whale populations in the Atlantic and a surge in cetacean research during the 70s and 80s, came a global outcry for their protection. The Portuguese made it their mission to protect these magnificent creatures rather than to pursue them and this positive transition allowed us populations to recover well and enabled us to enjoy this beautiful sighting on Portugal Day more than two decades later.

We reap what we sow and if we choose to protect our natural heritage, particularly our oceans, we can allow ourselves to be proud of yet another positive development during our time on earth. Happy Portugal Day!

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Stenella

15:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Sperm whales, Loggerhead turtle