Air temperatures in July have risen to nearly 30ºC and the sea temperature is also warmer than usual, reaching 25ºC... This might impact the number of cetacean species observed around Madeira archipelago, so let's keep an eye on it:

Week 28: From the 15th to the 21st of July 2024
Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Dwarf sperm whale Kogia sima
Blainville's beaked whale Mesoplodon densirostris
Cuvier's beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris
Pygmy killer whale Feresa attenuata
Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Common Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Rough-toothed dolphin Steno bredanensis
Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus
Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba

Summer is about to start and Madeira is a great destination for whalewatching at this time of year as not only tourists like to visit the island but also more cetacean species pass by these waters! So, let's see which marine mammals will visit us:

Week 25: From the 24th to the 30th of June 2024
Bryde's whale Balaenoptera edeni
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps
Blainville's beaked whale Mesoplodon densirostris
Cuvier's beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris
Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Common Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Rough-toothed dolphin Steno bredanensis
Short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis
Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba

By May the sea temperature starts to rise which attracts more whale and dolphin species to the waters around Madeira archipelago. This year Madeira ocean and coasts are being 'invaded' by Sargassum, a brown seaweed which is more common in tropical waters but also reaches subtropical waters though its annual blooms are increasing rapidly in the Atlantic. So whalewatching becomes a bit more difficult due to the large spots of Sargassum at sea.

Week 21: From the 27th of May to the 2nd of June 2024
Bryde's whale Balaenoptera edeni
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba
Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis
Short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis
Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus
Rough-toothed dolphin Steno bredanensis
Common Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Blainville's beaked whale Mesoplodon densirostris

One may say that April is the opening of the whale watching season around Madeira as it is when not so common cetacean species start to pass through Madeira waters.

Week 16: From 22nd to the 28th of April 2024
Blue whale Balaenoptera musculus
Fin whale Balaenoptera physalus
Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba
Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis
Short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis
Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus
Common Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Blainville's beaked whale Mesoplodon densirostris
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus

March is synonym of Spring though with all the climate changes around the world the weather has been quite erratic... Here are the species of marina mammals observed around Madeira during this month:

Week 13: From the 25th to the 31st of March2024
Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis
Too bad sea conditions for whalewatching trips around Madeira

Week 12: From the 18th to the 24th of March2024
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Common Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis
Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba

Though winter is not the best season for whales and dolphins around Madeira, as long as the ocean conditions allow it, we still get quite good observations:

Week 9: From the 26th of February to the 3rd of March2024
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba
Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis
Short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis
Common Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus

This website is developed by Wind Birds' company as a contribute to the knowledge and conservation of whales and dolphins species around the Madeira archipelago and to promote whale watching in a sustainable way.

26 species of cetaceans are confirmed records for Madeira archipelago waters and three species remain as dubious records as there are not enough evidence to allow a definite identification of the species.

One can not write about whale watching without mentioning whaling, as that was how it all started... So we begin by framing historically the whaling industry in Madeira archipelago and the use of its products.
In Madeira, whale watching as a recreational activity started mainly after the end of whaling, when chances to observe whales or dolphins increased for the boats operating coastal or big game fishing trips. By then whale watching was randomly done when by luck a group of cetaceans crossed the course of those trips and the passengers had the chance to observe them. As a dedicated commercial and tourist activity, with companies promoting and running sea trips devoted to the observation of whales and dolphins only started in 2004. From then on whale watching had an average growth of one new boat operating per year.