We decided to book a Catamaran trip to see marine wildlife with the expectations of perhaps... maybe... catching a quick glimpse of a dolphin, but we would never have expected to be lucky enough to witness what we did.
The boat trip begins at the wonderful Funchal Marina where we boarded a spacious, double decker catamaran with the hopes to catch a glimpse of some marine animals. At the bottom front of the boat, there is a well located "net" area where you can sit on an open net that overlooks the ocean. I would highly recommend finding a space in this area as the experience is unlike anything I've ever experienced before. If you're lucky enough to see marine wildlife, I can guarantee that you'll have a fantastic view from the net.
Early on in our trip, we heard our first announcement, a sea turtle was up ahead. Honestly, if this was the only sighting of the whole trip, I would have been extremely content. The sea turtle was absolutely fascinating to watch as he skimmed the top of the water occasionally giving us a wave with his left flipper. Whilst I was in awe of the fact that I was finally seeing a sea turtle in its natural environment, the boat made a quick turn with an announcement being made that there had been sightings of dolphins. This was followed by excited gasps and murmurs gradually taking over the whole boat.
As we journeyed towards the dolphins I could spot their antics in the distance; each one elegantly gliding in and out of the water. As our boat reached closer and closer, the dolphins really began to perform. We were able to witness a spectacular show as the school of dolphins were truly showing off for us lucky spectators on the catamaran. They began racing the boat in an ever changing formation, with each dolphin opting to take the lead at some point during the race. They surrounded every single angle of the boat, gliding in and out of the water from each viewpoint. You can watch a short clip of their antics here. It truly was a performance that I will never forget.
Finally, it was time to leave the dolphins behind as we continued to set off on our adventure. The whole boat was still trying to let the spectacle that had just been witnessed sink in, when another announcement could be heard: Whales ahead.
I wasn't expecting to see anything other than a couple of dolphins so this was a real surprise for me. The catamaran sailed closer to a pod of whales that could be seen spouting water and lobtailing (lifting their tail fins out of the water). The whole boat was in awe of these magnificent mammals as they traveled closely together, hunting for food.
After the excitement of the surprise element of witnessing whales, the boat headed for a quiet spot where we would stop for a spot of swimming for all those who were willing. Whether you swim or not, you are guaranteed to see some beautiful views at this spot, including stunning mountains and lots of little fishes in the sea, before heading back to the marina.
Overall the trip is about three hours long and seeing sea turtles, dolphins and whales in their natural habitat was an experience like no other. I would highly recommend this tour to all those who will be visiting Madeira, as well as those who are fans of marine wildlife and would love to watch a dolphin performance unlike anything that you've ever seen before. More information of this tour can be found on the VMT website.