31.07.2020 – The perks of diversity

Our tours don’t come with a guarantee for sightings. Instead we promise our guests that our crew will invest all the skill and expertise necessary to provide a beautiful and educational experience out on the Atlantic. And, to be fair, we are a passionate team with the luxury of working with a very generous diversity of marine life out on the ocean! Summertime is an especially eventful time, since the weather usually plays along and several species arrive in Madeira to rest or feed in the warm, deep waters near the archipelago.

Our small group of snorkelers were more than eager to get a close look at some Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) this morning.. and the Atlantic delivered! Our participants were soon surrounded by around 50 spotted dolphins, who squeaked and chattered amongst one another as they drifted alongside our snorkelers. After wrapping up such a wonderful snorkelling tour our team was ready for more but we sure didn’t expect to encounter such a diversity ofspecies during our afternoon tour.

No less than 5 species broke the waters surface near our zodiac this afternoon, all within a couple of nautical miles of one another. We kicked off the tour with a dispersed, calm group of Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), large deep-diving dolphins that weren’t travelling far from a small, compact group of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). This beautiful sighting was succeeded by encounters with smaller, more interactive dolphins which once again included the charismatic Atlantic spotted dolphins and a tiny pod of the beautiful Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis). The cherry on top of this cetacean cake, as if it were a pre-ordered gran finale, was a group of gentle giants. Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are the largest of all toothed whales and were resting at the surface as we approached, before they plunged into the depths in almost perfect synchrony, lifting their giant flukes high above the surface.

These are the days that leave our crew as speechless as our guests and they are perfect proof of the luxurious diversity of marine life that still surrounds this impressive archipelago!

By Paula Thake

Sightings of the day

Stenella

09:30 Atlantic spotted dolphins (snorkeling)

15:00 Atlantic spotted dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Short-beaked common dolphins, Short-finned pilot whales, Sperm whales