Madeira Whale Watching October
October was a great month for dolphin and whale watching tours in Madeira. The species we typically see in fall have started to become more abundant, such as the Sperm whales! There were also more baleen whales seen, like the Bryde’s and Sei whales. The amazing Pilot whales continued to be the most commonly observed cetacean species – just like September. During the month of October we observed 8 different species of dolphins and whales. This is one of the reasons we love our excursions from Funchal, there are very few places in the world where you can see so many different species of cetaceans. October was an exciting and surprising month with many guests enjoying the rich biodiversity of the island of Madeira on our dolphin and whale watching tours.
Dolphin and whale watching from Funchal in October is usually one of the best months of the year to see Sperm whales. Not only were there more Sperm whales in October, but more baleen whales as well. We saw numerous families of Sperm whales, some with very young babies! Sperm whales live in groups of adult females with juveniles and babies of both sexes, while the enormous adult males live alone and migrate long distances to feed and mate. We expect these sightings to continue through November, which has traditionally been the month with the most Sperm whale sightings.
The resident and migratory Pilot whales families were again the most abundant species on our tours. We are so very fortunate to have these amazing deep diving whales living around the island of Madeira all year. During the fall months more family pods of Pilot whales arrive along our coasts, we believe it is during these months where the Pilot whales are most active in reproduction.
There were more large baleen whales seen during October. It is a thrill we never get tired of, hearing the amazing sound of a 14-16 meter whale exhaling. Did you know that the speed of the air being exhaled by a large baleen whale can reach 600km/hr?! Impressive beyond words…Bryde’s whales and Sei whales were seen during the month. Most likely there were more baleen whales due to the slight cooling of the ocean bringing more small schooling fish to Madeira. These enormous whales feed on small schooling fish along the coastal waters of Madeira.
There were many sightings of the Bottlenose dolphins as well. They are a resident species here in Madeira. We observed both smaller coastal groups and larger oceanic groups. Did you know this species is the largest of the beaked dolphins, reaching 4m and 600kg?
We were pleasantly surprised with the number of Atlantic Spotted dolphins still around the island of Madeira in October. Normally the majority of this species has migrated further south by the fall, but one year we had a pod of 20-30 that stayed around all winter. Perhaps some of them will decide to spend their winter here this year. As they are one of the most engaging and charismatic species we hope so!
The rest of the species we saw during the month of October were the; Blainville’s Beaked whales, Rough-toothed dolphins and Striped dolphins. They were seen on just a couple of lucky tours!
Thanks to all of our wonderful guests for choosing to join our respectful dolphin and whale watching tours from Funchal on the island of Madeira.
During October, the WCA or World Cetacean Alliance, recognized the island of Madeira as a ‘Whale Heritage Area’ – an award that has been given to only 9 other spots on the planet. It is reserved for “Outstanding wildlife-friendly tourism destinations around the world”.
It is great to have such well deserved recognition for the island and the responsible dolphin and whale watching operators here in Madeira.
We hope to see you on one of our tours soon! Every month is unique here on the island of eternal spring. For the most up to date spotting information follow our Facebook and Instagram accounts.
If you want to reserve your spot on one of our upcoming dolphin and whale watching tours, just click the Book Now link and start making plans for a wonderful excursion.
