Mon, 15 Nov 2021

Madeira Island has a history of whaling activity in the 20th century until 1981, when whaling finally ended. Since then there has been a great interest in these animals.

Madeira's privileged position in the Atlantic Ocean makes it a transit point for many species of whales and as such it is the perfect place for whale watching and other cetaceans. In recent decades we have seen great growth in the activity of whale watching in Madeira.

Come and explore the different types of whales you can find on Madeira Island:

Right Whale or Basque Whale (Eubalaena glacialis)

• Shallow coastal water animal
• Lives in small groups of 2 to 20 individuals
• Only 2 confirmed sightings in Madeira

Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)

• Large animal, reaching 30 meters
• Lone animal
• Infrequent sightings from April to September

Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus)

• Can reach up to 27 meters in length
• High speed, deep water animal (can reach 9 knots)
• Found alone or in groups of up to 5 individuals
• It is seen mainly from March to October.

Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis)

• Animal with a very long body (14 meters)
• Usually seen along the island but in waters further away from the coast.
• Lives in groups of 2 to 5 individuals
• It is occasional in Madeira Island from March to October

Bryde or Tropical Whale (Balaenoptera edeni)

• 13 meters
• Found alone or in pairs
• It is not uncommon to interact with boats
• Warm water animal
• Mainly seen from April to December

Minke Whale or Dwarf Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)

• Found in ocean and coastal waters.
• In groups of up to 3
• Curious animal
• Rare sightings between June and August

Bossas or Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

• Large animal, reaching 18 meters
• Gray or black body with large fins
• They are curious and not afraid of boats
• They are present in coastal and deep waters during their migrations.
• Sighted between April and May and October and November

Pygmy Sperm Whale (Kogia breviceps)

• 3-meter animal
• Sighted in July, August, and December
• Groups of 3 to 6 individuals
• Slow swimmer and difficult to observe, preferring very calm waters

Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus)

• Animal with a length of 18 meters
• Present in Madeira all year round, but with special incidence from March to September
• Sometimes when diving we can see the characteristic tail fin
• Sighted alone or in large groups
• Very common in Madeira

Gervais Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon europaeus)

• Found in subtropical waters
• very shy animal
• Rare sightings between April and June
• Tends to avoid boats
• Lives in groups of 2 to 5 individuals

Sowerby's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon bidens)

• Rare sightings from July to August
• Shy behavior
• Found alone or in groups of 10
• It feeds on squid and fish

Blainville's Beaked Whale or Big Beak Whale (Mesoplodon densirostris)

• Shy animal
• Sometimes like a dolphin
• Rare sightings from July to August

Cuvier's Beakead Whale (Ziphius cavirostris)

• Common animal in wood
• It has a goose-like beak
• Tends to avoid boats unless they are stationary or moving very slowly
• Sightings especially from May to July

Come explore Madeira's seas on a catamaran or a speadboat and marvel at our marine life.

We have quite a wide selection of boats and prices for all. Check them out here! Find All the Options