A rare and exciting “spectacle” took place today in the Port of Funchal. This Tuesday morning, around 9:50 am, a group of dolphins were seen swimming in the waters inside Pontinha, causing astonishment and even enthusiasm among those lucky enough to witness the unprecedented moment.
The appearance of the dolphins occurred unexpectedly, thus providing a fascinating event for observers, as sailor Fábio Maia told us from the Catamaran ‘Magic Dolphin Eco’, from the company ‘Magic Dolphin’, who usually sees these animals… but only further from the bay of Funchal.
“Sincerely, it was the first time I saw bottlenose dolphins inside the Port of Funchal. I’ve been working in maritime-tourist companies for about 12 years and I had never seen this happen, so I was quite surprised”, began by reporting the sailor to DIÁRIO , clarifying that these type of dolphins are resident in the seas of the Madeira archipelago.
Asked whether this sighting could be related to the rise in seawater temperatures, Fábio Maia believes that the reasons must be different. “It could be related to some predator, for example, orcas, which are not usually passing through the island at this time. Or else I also think it could be to hunt some fish, since as there were no cruises and there was no maritime movement inside Porto, they just ventured in a little further,” he said.
The sailor also explained that these animals in their adult size can reach between 400 and 600 kilos. “They are mammals just like us, that is, initially they feed on milk and later they start to hunt fish and molluscs. They are probably one of the best known dolphins in the world, as they are the ones used in water parks to put on shows”, he said, thus leaving an appeal for the Regional Government not to allow the captivity of these animals for profit here too. “Unfortunately, in captivity they are very stressed and often die long before adulthood, with the average life expectancy of bottlenose dolphins being around 50 and 60 years”, he concluded.
There are also reports that the same group of dolphins were seen, this afternoon, off Reis Magos beach, in Caniço, also delighting bathers.