10.07.2021- Amazing – vol. 3

The deep seascape surrounding Madeira is nothing short of spectacular and can often be imagined as a mirror image of the impressive landscape of the island we are lucky to have as a backdrop to our lovely sightings cetaceans. Today our spotter lead our team to the waters further west, around 3 nautical miles outside Paul do Mar, where the edge of a submarine plateau extending off the islands southwest coastline gives way to depths. Of over 1km.  Here our team managed a wonderful sighting with a group of interactive Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis), summer visitors whose charm never fails to make our guests smile.

The sighting was closely followed by an encounter of Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) who, in contrast to the warm-water loving spotted dolphins, prefer to come to Madeira in winter. The only groups staying in Madeira over the summer are small nursery groups containing young calves who are still too vulnerable to travel to the colder waters of the North Atlantic. Today, however, the group was larger and didn’t contain any calves and the reason for their presence soon became evident when we saw a group of Cory’s Shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) circling an area white with splashes. The common dolphins were swiftly leaping in between the birds and hunting a group of Atlantic mackerel (Scombrus scomber). In an effort to at least dodge the aerial attacks from the Cory’s, the mackerel scrambled underneath our boat to take shelter but were soon followed by the dolphins who delivered the coup de grâce.

We ended our tour with a peaceful tour along the coastline with ample time to enjoy the beautiful village of Jardim do Mar while reflecting on our lovely moments with the dolphins. Another amazing day out on the ocean!

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Ribeira Brava

10:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins