May 2024 whale & dolphin watching around Madeira

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 17: From 29th of April to the 5th of May 2024
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps
Blainville's beaked whale Mesoplodon densirostris
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