17.01.2020 – Airborne prey
While local fishermen in Madeira are set on catching Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obsesus), another type of fish is in season for dolphins; Halfbeaks (Belone belone). These epipelagic fish got their name from their distinctive non-mobile lower jaws that extend far…
10.01.2020 – Food, glorious food
Cetaceans react differently to the presence of boats and their reaction burns down to a number of different factors. It depends on the species, on how the groups are constituted (if several calves are present for instance), the different personalities…
09.01.2020 – Light sleeper
The ocean welcomed us with rainbows in the sky as we sped out aboard our zodiac this morning. Our sightings included bow-riding Striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), a small shy Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), a By-the-wind-sailor (Velella velella) and several Yellow-legged…
06.01.2020 – The brainy bunch
All cetaceans are magnificent animals but two species have fascinated local scientists for some time because of their frequent visit to Madeira’s waters; the Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and the Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus). Today we witnessed both species…
04.01.2020 – Sea screening
We were met with sunny conditions and a relatively calm ocean as we set out to find dolphins aboard our traditional boat this morning. It didn’t take long for our spotter to locate a group of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)…
02.01.2020 – A quick glance
After a beautiful new year celebration both our our boats left the marina of Calheta to brave the windy conditions out on the Atlantic. Almost miraculously, our spotter managed locate a small compact group of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) moving…
31.12.2019 – A new decade
2020 was a firework festival away and our team used the day to enjoy some lovely sightings before the big night. Our time at sea was well spent with some familiar faces; a pod of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) emerged…
30.12.2019 – Birds of a feather
As most of you already know, whale-watching is very dependent on both weather conditions and the presence of dolphins or whales around the islands waters. The southeast wind whirled up the waters in front of Calheta today, making them too…
13.12.2019 – White wings
The superstitious ones amongst us would not expect an afternoon trip out on the ocean on a date like Friday the 13th to go as wonderfully as the one we enjoyed this afternoon. Our spotter directed us a couple of…
11.12.2019 – Striking gold
Our zodiac had an absolutely spectacular trip out on the Atlantic Ocean today and…I’m not sure whether it was so incredible because my camera eventually ran out of battery (thank you universe…) or whether it was because of the two…