October is another migration month for most wildlife. Despite the storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic, let's see which whales and dolphins come around Madeira this time...

Week 39: From the 30th September to the 6th of October 2024
Blue whale Balaenoptera musculus
Fin whale Balaenoptera physalus
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
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

Although the Autumn starts in September it is still a good season for whalewatching in Madeira as one might expect some whale species passing by the archipelago during their migratory course.

Week 38: From the 23rd to the 29th of September 2024
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

As the ocean temperature keeps rising it might bring or push away some different species of cetaceans around Madeira archipelago. This month there were sightings of Pantropical spotted dolphin Stenella attenuata which were very rare to Madeira, while Bryde's whales which used to be common around summer are a bit more scarce...

Week 34: From the 26th of August to the 1st of September 2024
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba
Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis
Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus
Rough-toothed dolphin Steno bredanensis
Common Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Cuvier's beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris
Blainville's beaked whale Mesoplodon densirostris
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus

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 29: From the 22nd to the 28th of July 2024
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
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
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

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.