July started wind very strong winds, especially on the east side of Madeira which did not allow much whalewatching activity around there in the first week but in more protected sides of the island there were still good chances to spot these majestical cetaceans:

Week 27:  From the 30th of June to the 6th of July 2025
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Blainville's beaked whale Mesoplodon densirostris
Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Common Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus
Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba

June means summer and warmer air and ocean temperatures, which attracts some more cetacean species around Madeira archipelago!

Week 26:  From the 23rd to the 29th of June 2025
Sei whale Balaenoptera borealis
Bryde's whale Balaenoptera edeni
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
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

Finally some spring weather arrived with May and also some smooth ocean to facilitate whale and dolphins encounters! May is usually good for cetaceans to pass by on their migratory routes, so let's see which ones will get close to Madeira!

Week 22:  From the 26th of May to the 1st of June 2025
Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae
Bryde's whale Balaenoptera edeni
Blainville's beaked whale Mesoplodon densirostris
Pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps
Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Common Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus
Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba

There is a saying in Portuguese: "Em Abril, águas mil" which means 'in April thousands of water' and it seems 2025 is determined to prove that saying! So although most countries in Europe are already enjoying some spring weather, in Madeira winter is still stretching until the 1st half of April...

Week 17: From the 21st to the 27th of April 2025
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
Common Minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus

March should be the beginning of spring but this year winter imposed itself and lasted longer... It was not easy to whalewatch this month due to the strong winds and rough ocean during many days of this month.

Week 13: From the 24th to the 30th of March 2025
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Common Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba
Bryde's whale Balaenoptera edeni

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.