The sea in Madeira has been rough for a couple of weeks but today, in Ponta do Sol, specially in Lugar de Baixo marina and at the beach, the waves seemed to have gained life and were monumental... The show attracted several spectators which made some traffic congestion as everyone was curious to admire these huge waves.

Fortunately the weather and sea conditions will be better for the end of the week which will allow the 2010 New Year's Fireworks to be as programmed.

Yesterday afternoon, for the first time since Madeira colonization, a Monk Seal went for a siesta on the dockyard of Funchal harbour. It is getting more common to see a Monk Seal, once in while, swimming along the South coast of Madeira but it had never happened before on the Island an individual of the Monachus monachus species getting so close to humans for a rest.

According to the Madeira's Natural Park this individual is healthy and it only decided to sleep on an uncommon place. Will this mean that Monk Seals of Madeira are gaining again their trust in humans? Some years ago these sea mammals were hunted and that is why its small colony took refuge on the Southern part of Desertas Islands. Now the Mediterranean Monk Seal is a threatened species and in Madeira (Desertas Islands), despite being the smallest colony in the world, it has the greatest success in population increase with about 35 individuals already.

Yesterday evening an adult Mediterranean Monk Seal Monachus monachus was seen in resting on the waters of Funchal bay, more precisely near Lido area. This threatened species was once popular in Madeira Island but hunting scared the few individuals that survived to Desertas Islands , south of Madeira. Desertas Islands are now the only breeding place for this small colony of Mediterranean Monk Seals with about 30 individuals.

Observing these spectacular sea mammals along Funchal coast means that this species is getting some confidence about Madeira Island again... Maybe some day we will have the chance to see again these nice seals resting in Câmara de Lobos beach, after all it was due to this behavior that this city was named like that!

After some years of recovery from intensive whale hunting which was forbidden in early 80s in Madeira, it is now possible to observe cetaceans in this archipelago waters again. Now you can run a whale and dolphin watching trip and you will have the chance to observe these friendly species, almost for sure.

There is also a Whale museum (Museu da Baleia) in Caniçal, the village that was the centre of whale hunting, where you may complement your knowing about whales, but there is nothing like seeing it alive on sea.

Whales, Dolphins and Cory's Shearwaters

The black scabbard fish (Aphanopus carbo) is a species from Madeira sea fish. Its habitat is in deep waters, around 1000 meters of depth. Due to its habitat it is a dark fish with big eyes, different from the scabbard fish captured in mainland waters.

Captured mainly by Câmara de Lobos fishermen it measures about 1 meter and can live from 4 to 10 years old. It is one of the deepest types of deepsea fishing in the world.