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 14: From 8th to the 14th of April 2024
Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae
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

Happy New Year! Another year goes by as well as some species of dolphins & whales that visit Madeira archipelago waters in the winter...

Week 4: From the 22nd to the 28th of January 2024
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba
Short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis
Common Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Blainville's beaked whale Mesoplodon densirostris
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Fin whale Balaenoptera physalus

As the sea temperature remains a bit warmer than usual, Christmas' whale watching reports are a bit more diversified in terms of whales and dolphins species than past years!

Week 52: From the 25th to the 31st of December 2023
Bryde's whale Balaenoptera edeni
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
Blainville's beaked whale Mesoplodon densirostris

November, as an autumn month, makes the cetacean move southwards and so we do not expect to watch much diversity of sea mammal species around Madeira.

Week 48: From the 27th of November to the 3rd of December 2023
Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae
Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Common Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba

October is usually still a good month for whale watching around Madeira and with the ocean temperature still around 23ºC it might attract some cetacean species to pass close to this archipelago...

Week 43: From the 23rd to the 29th of October 2023
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
Bryde's whale Balaenoptera edeni
Blainville's beaked whale Mesoplodon densirostris
Cuvier's beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris
Short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus
Common Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba

As the sea water keeps warming up towards the end of the summer it might attract some uncommon species of dolphins or whales, or maybe it is too warm?!? So, with sea temperature at 25ºC let's see which marine mammals will pass by Madeira archipelago during September 2023:

Week 39: From the 25th of September to the 1st of October 2023
Fin whale Balaenoptera physalus
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
Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba

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.