Killer Whales Spotted off Calheta

It was close to 3 pm when the alert came from land to the vessels: “Orcas (killer whales) 10 miles off the coast of Calheta”. Captain Tony Canha and Filipe Moura left the marina to confirm the sighting of Estefânia who was at the lookout post. Just over half an hour of getting the two semi-rigid boats ready and accommodating the tourists on board, they set out for the location and in minutes they were just a few meters away from a group of eight super-predators. It was confirmed. “It’s rare to see orcas around here”, said Tony, still with emotion on the surface.

The story becomes even more emotional because Natalie Fink, a Dutch citizen, had the dream of seeing an orca one day as a child, after all, it is not in vain that in her house in Calheta she collects more than 500 pieces of this type of animal.

Yesterday, tears ran down the Nordic girl’s face and the confession in English “it’s a dream came true” on her Facebook page was written, because, at the time, words were lacking to describe what her eyes saw. So close and in a wild environment. Free. And despite the fact that orcas are often aggressive and bear the title of “killer whales”, yesterday they left the epithet aside and socialized.

“It must be from the calm and therapeutic seas of Madeira”, was heard on the other side of the rubber boat radio and where there were 12 people on board.

It will have been the most unforgettable 15 minutes for those who love marine life and who can appreciate the watchful eye of the lookout, which “is an important member of the team that starts long before the boat leaves”, says the captain of the vessel from the tourist entertainment company WildBlue.

“they look for small references, such as seabirds, foam when dolphins jump, dorsals that shine when cetaceans are on the surface, as well as large puffs that are expelled from the water”, summarizes the work that is done with powerful binoculars.

The photographic record was also sent to the IFCN – Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation – which records the event and is in charge of analyzing the species and cataloging the passage through the seas of Madeira

From Diário Notícias