Responsible Whales And/or Dolphins Watching Tour

Fab trip on rib with a very very knowledgable guide. Saw pilot whales and dolphins had a high speed finale and thoroughly enjoyed this experience, would recommend.

What an experience. From the welcome talk to the finish, you could see that Blue Safari cared about the ocean and its inhabitants. Lots of interesting information about conservation and what we could and did see. We saw a large pod of around 40 to 60 blues spotted and striped dolphins, followed by three separate sighting of pilot whales. Just wow!! We would recommend using this company to anyone who wants information, fun and couple of end surprises from Captain Ricardo 😂

Wow, wow, wow.. what an experience. Both Ricardo’s were excellent guides. We saw blue spotted and also striped dolphins (between 40 and 60 of them), and then later two separate families of Pilot whales. Ricardo was very knowledgeable and gave a lot of information of the dolphins and whales that we saw. Ricardo (the captain) was able to throw in a couple of surprises at the end of the tour 😂😂

31 oktober 13.00 What a boat tour. Afther a good briefing started de trip by Ricardo the Guide and Ricardo the Captain In no time we were lucky to spot a whale with the help of a fast boat and animal friendly aproching we could enjoy a unforgettable spotting experience. Barely recovered we could spot dolphins. With a exceptional behaviour when the 60 dolphins together all jumping went away. Possible only with help of the experience of captain Ricardo. Enough? No not yet. Ricardo discovered 6 Pilotwales nearby because of the experience of Ricardo. Together with the knowledge of the Guide Ricardo who explained every spotting made this trip exceptional without disturbing the animals.

Great trip, really knowledgeable gide Ricardo and super good boat captain. We saw dolphins and whales 👌

Easy to book, good information pre trip about where to meet. Camilla our guide was enthusiastic, informative, fun, friendly and professional making us feel safe at all times. Captain did a great job keeping us comfortable on the waves. Would highly recommend this small group tour over the larger boats. We were lucky to see a group of 30-40 dolphins close up on our trip.

Very active boat ride. Gorgeous views of city and dolphins and pilot whales. Our guide was amazing and explained so much about the island water creatures. Great day.

Just incredible. The welcome, the introduction, the attention to safety and the 'ground rules' of the trip. The encounter with the whales that we had and the knowledge and passion we had from our guide Horst, was second to none! Would HIGHLY recommend!

We had a wonderful time on our trip with our guide Horst! We saw pilot whales and had dolphins jumping alongside us which was fantastic. Horst was excellent and taught us all about the mammals over the course of the journey. But even the boat ride itself was a highlight! Seeing the coastline from the sea was beautiful. It was SO much fun speeding along, bouncing over the waves, sometimes getting splashed! We were laughing the whole time and it felt a lot more fun than the slower, larger boats. I sometimes get motion sickness but was absolutely fine on this style of boat. The boat seats 18 and laid out in two lines running from front to back. You straddle the seat, kind of like riding a horse, with a handle bar to hold onto at the top of the back of the persons seat in front. It was completely comfortable to us and we were fine for the whole two hours. We had so much fun and would highly recommend to anyone wanting this kind of trip in Funchal!

The overall experience was amazing! The pick-up point at the port of Funchal was easy to find, and during the tour, we were lucky enough to see lots of pilot whales. It was incredible to see them for the first time! Of course, wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed, so we were very lucky! But the real stars of the experience were the Blu Safari team! Our guide, Rose, was the best. I learned so much about whales in general, and I especially loved how she explained their behaviour as we watched them. She also emphasised the importance of approaching them responsibly by boat, which really showed how much the team cares about marine life. What I loved most, though, was seeing the genuine passion and enthusiasm that our guide and the team have for these animals. They were just as excited as we were when we spotted the whales, and their positive energy was truly contagious. It was the cherry on top of an already amazing experience!

Rose was a great guide, very knowledgable. She shared with us a lot information we had not heard before. We saw bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales. Great guide and great captain.

I was very disappointed with this trip. We were advised to book with this company as they have zodiacs which are faster and more nimble that being on a large boat. They had approx 18+ of us crammed on a zodiac with barely space to walk to get to your seat. Look closely at the photos and you will see what I am saying is true about the number of people on these zodiacs. I am 65 and had to sit straddling my seat which was not comfortable. We went straight out and saw very little. Then they decided to parallel the coast heading west. In the whole 2.5 hours we saw very little - just a few spotted and bottled nose dolphin. While we were way out, they basically turned off the engines and we were bobbing like a cork in big swells. Not a good time. I don't remember the captain interacting with us at any time. In contrast I was on a sunset sailboat cruise for the same money and had more space and saw more dolphin and a few whales.

Be prepared for an adventure into nature and watch out for the dolphins. Who will spot them first? But check out the weather forecast first to not get cold.

Amazing trip! All at our first stop we saw about 10 bottlenose dolphins and other than the next stop pilot whales with lots of babies and they came really close to the boat! So cool to know that you’re helping their Research & I love the fact that the captain was respectful to the mothers and the babies and didn’t hang around too long. Great pics! Recommend.

I had an incredible boat tour in Madeira with this company. What stood out the most was their genuine care and respect for marine life. They work with land spotters and know exactly how to approach dolphins and whales ethically—cutting the engines, moving with the currents, and ensuring the animals aren't stressed or scared. They even collaborate with research institutes to help protect them! When other less respectful tour boats rushed in, scared the animals away, and ruined the viewing, our skipper and guide handled the situation with complete professionalism. Instead of crowding the wildlife, they stepped back to protect them and spent extra time navigating further out just to give us a better experience. To top it off, when time ran out, the skipper gave us an exciting, high-energy ride back with some fun turns to put a smile on our faces! You can feel how passionate they are about their work and the animals. Highly recommend choosing them if you want an ethical and unforgettable trip! Also, keep in mind that going with a company that has dedicated land spotters is honestly the only way to reliably see wildlife in Madeira. Unless you get extremely lucky and animals happen to pop up right next to your boat by pure chance, other companies have no way of finding them—and as soon as they jump on our spotters' finds, they just scare them off anyway.

A fantastic trip out with Camila and Vlad, very knowledgeable and obviously caring towards the ocean and its amazing animals. To see them all doing their own thing being free was beautiful. Will definitely do it all again one day.

An excellent experience. We saw pilot whales and dolphins. The guide was very knowledgeable & informative

It was a great experience. The guide was excellent and we had a great day.

Brilliant trip. Camellia our guide was so knowledgeable and passionate. We got to see several dolphins which was incredible. We were well taken care of with safety instructions and life jackets. Definitely an experience.

We shared an amazing experience on this tour viewing the natural behaviour of Pilot whales & Bottlenose Dolphins. Our guide Camila was very knowledgeable and keen to pass on her love for these beautiful animals. Our pilot Vlad was careful not to disturb the animals & viewing was easy from our speedboat. An excellent, respectful tour, highly recommended.

This was an absolute amazing experience. The crew were so caring and professional. During the trip we spotted dolphines, sperm whales and pilot whales. Rose gave us som really interesting facts about the species as we saw them, and Vlad was a great captain. I cannot recommend this experience enough.

Great and successful trip as we saw numerous pilot whales as well as dolphins. Our hostess and captain both seemed very knowledgeable and caring about the environment.

We went in with zero expectations of seeing whales, but quickly after departing we had the first view of a sperm whale. What a sight to behold. Camila was a great, knowledgeable guide and you can sense her love for the marine life and animals in regular. We also booked here because we preferred the smaller boats/groups.

Small boat and not too many people, for me the seat was a little uncomfortable but no-one else seemed to suffer. The guide and skipper were really good. We saw sperm whales, bottle nosed dolphins and pilot whales, the pilot whales swam quite close to us. Whilst stopped a couple of times they fished out rubbish from the sea, which was good to see. It was a great trip, time and money well spent.

We picked this tour because of its credentials, the presence of a marine biologist and the small group size. It absolutely did not disappoint. Camilla was a great guide and so knowledgeable about the animals. Approaching gently meant that both the sperm whales and dolphins hung around and seemed relaxed . Really glad we picked this trip and we got some great photos. Pleased to feel we were helping the research a little bit too!

Highly recommended! During our two-hour tour, we were lucky enough to see both bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales. Our guide, Camilla, was incredibly friendly and shared fascinating insights about the animals. She was also more than happy to answer any questions we had. An amazing experience that we would definitely recommend

Horst was a brilliant guide - we were impressed by his knowledge, enthusiasm and the way he managed the tour (in many different languages). We found the boat ride itself exhilarating (thank you to Francisco) and were really happy to see some beautiful pilot whales. Would definitely recommend.

Horst was a brilliant guide - we were impressed by his knowledge, enthusiasm and the way he managed the tour (in many different languages). We found the boat ride itself exhilarating and were really happy to see some beautiful pilot whales. Would definitely recommend!

Camila and Franscesco made it an unforgetabble trip! The passion and knowledge about the dolphins of Camila is great!

Absolutely great experience. Spotted pilot whales, dolphins & flying fish. Would highly thie company, very professional & we felt completely safe. Plus expertise & knowledge of the guide was outstanding.

My husband and I did this tour just the other day and had a great time! Camila and Vlad were great guides! We got to see beautiful pilot whales, which came right up to the boat! What made me choose this company was their responsible whale watching practices. Definitely check them out if you are able to!

We took a vip boat trip. It was Awesome!! Camila was so informative and answered all our questions. Captain Pablo was great. We got to see pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins. We also caught sight of 2 flying fish. It was GREAT!!

Our tour with Horst (marine biologist) and Francisco was just incredible from the initial briefing right through the whole trip. Saw false killer whales and flying fish. Horst was always checking on people so see if we were ok as it was a little 'choppy'. He explained everything in detail and in several languages. The boat is perfect for this trip, fast, stable and able to get to the best views but always keeping a safe distance. Would highly recommend this trip, so good to see Horst and Francesco really passionate and enjoying their work. Thank you both!.

Horst and Vlad were simply amazing! The only tour worth paying for! Would come back again! They were able to explain everything in a detailed manner and are marine biologists.

Rose was a great guide - having a marine biologist as a guide means she is very knowledgeable about the animals and clearly cares about them - like when we stopped out at sea to pick up a plastic bottle floating in the sea.

The three of us – Sonja, Anja and me Silvana – had an absolutely fantastic whale-watching trip with Blue Safari in Funchal today. The sightings were simply incredible! We were lucky enough to see beautiful marine wildlife in a wonderful setting, and watching the animals in their natural environment was truly magical. Francisco was a fantastic skipper, navigating the boat with great skill and, most importantly, with great respect and care for the animals. You could really feel that the well-being of the wildlife comes first. A very special highlight for us was seeing Horst again, whom we already knew from our previous whale-watching trips. It was wonderful to be out on the ocean with him again. We were also delighted to unexpectedly see Camila again, another familiar face from our previous tours. 🥰 The combination of amazing sightings, a respectful approach to the animals and such a wonderful atmosphere made this a truly unforgettable experience. Thank you, Horst and Francisco, for an incredible day on the ocean! We’ll definitely be back! 🐋💙

Had a great time. Our guide was amazing so much knowledge about the marine life. We were very lucky saw dolphins with a baby pilot whales and a sperm whale. We paid an extra 10 euros to dowload some pictures and they are fabulous. We would highly recommend going on this trip.

Out of all the whale & dolphin watching tours in Funchal, of which there are many, I encourage you to book with Blue Safari Madeira. Camilla, our tour guide, had enthusiasm and excitement about the dolphins that was contagious. She was incredibly knowledgeable on all the species & individuals, particularly as the organisation collect data for the Marine Research Station. She was very attentive to everyone on the boat & I learnt so much from her. After the tour, where we saw pilot whales sleeping & swimming, she offered a free trip to the Marine Research Station the next day, where we saw injured turtles which were getting rehabilitated. It was fascinating & an incredible opportunity for us to see turtles & learn more about them. Vlad was our amazing boat driver & it was a much smoother ride on the rib boat they use, compared to the other boats. There was even an option to sit on the raised seats at the back, for taller people or those who get easily motion sick. Overall, I encourage you to book with Blue Safari, as it was evident they care not only about your experience on the boat but the whales & dolphins too.

Tour guide was a marine biologist who was extremely informative and knowledgeable. Our group was very lucky in that we saw the pilot whales and babies. It was an incredible experience and I would highly recommend!

We saw Pilot Dolphins and Dolphins. I would recommend this than the big tour boats. It’s more up close and personal plus small group. Use sunscreen, wear sunglasses, hat WITH A TIE or thin hooded jacket WITH A TIE to cover you from cold air- it’s a speed boat so expect strong winds and of course a phone or camera with a HANDLE that extends as whales could be on the other side where your sight could be blocked by a person next to you. You cannot stand to take a shot unless you are tall but short person like me can be challenging. Of course, make sure your phone or camera are fully charged. Also make sure your camera does have a lineyard just incase it accidentally drops in the water due to excitement taking photos. If you are going on a morning tour, I wouldn’t eat full breakfast just incase you will feel sick during the journey due to speed boat run. Also wear comfortable clothes, as you will hop-on the to seat and of course WATER BOTTLE to hydrate yourself. Morning is the best than afternoon I think. I went for an afternoon big boat tour the day before and not much of a wildlife seen plus they were far and shy. From my experience, paying for a big boat was not ideal for me. Speed boat does.

Horst (sorry if not spelled right!) and Fransisco were great guides. Horst knew everything you could possibly think to ask him and was so passionate about the animals. I think he explained in detail about everything we saw in about 5 !? Languages. I am quite nervous on water but I felt really safe and secure on the tour, especially because the guide was so knowledgable about the animals. It was such a great tour and experience. Thank you so much!

Fantastic experience. We got to see a pod of bottlenose dolphins with two babies which was incredible. The tour guide is a marine biologist and super knowledgeable on all the species in the area. We also really enjoyed this experience as there was no chasing the animals once found making it overall very ethical. There is also an option to purchase photos taken by the guide at the end for €10 with all the money going to marine research and conservation. We would definitely recommend!

We booked the VIP tour for our group of 10 and were incredibly lucky: we saw pilot whales swimming with Atlantic spotted dolphins, a pod of around 30 spotted dolphins including two babies, five sperm whales, and even a sea turtle! Camilla, our marine biologist, was fantastic – knowledgeable, passionate and clearly very respectful of the animals. Vlad was an amazing skipper and made the trip even more fun. The ride back was a highlight in itself – speeding over the waves, sharp turns and some very cool manoeuvres. We all had so much fun! An unforgettable experience and definitely one of the highlights of our Madeira trip. Highly recommended!

Such a well organised, fabulous trip. We arrived and were greeted by Hurst (our marine biologist) who gave us a briefing which was very informative. On the speedboat we were guided out of the marina by our excellent skipper, Francisco. Being out on the water was incredible and we saw some beautiful coastal views. We were so lucky to see a pod of female pilot whales. The boat approached calmly and respectfully which allowed us to see them close up which was a truly magical experience. We also came upon a pod of bottlenose dolphins soon after and observed them travelling and splashing their tails to communicate. Hurst was very attentive and gave us lots of information about the animals as well as being very open to questions. I was so glad we booked this smaller trip as we saw a larger boat with lots of passengers and the guide speaking through a tannoy which I personally would not have enjoyed. The journey back was fun as we sped towards the marina. I would advise you to arrive early as they want to make the most of your time on the water. If you want an informative, responsible trip these are the guys to go with!

It was a lovely and magical experience! We were asked to put our expectations not too high because, luckily, the animals are free and we can’t command them to show up. But quite soon we were able to see a group of sleeping dolphins with their baby’s! And later another group. Shoutout to Fransisco and Camila for their enthusiasm and knowledge and the love for the animals which you see in their talking and handling. Even the boat trip, just with a small group of a fast boat is nice experience and the length is perfect to be able to move around and see different spots.

We had an amazing dolphin watching tour! A huge thank you to skipper Vlad, who navigated with great skill and made the ride a truly exciting adventure. Marine biologist Horst was fantastic. He answered all of our questions and shared fascinating insights about both the dolphins and the island. Seeing the dolphins up close while learning so much was simply incredible. Highly recommended!

Blue Safari Madeira is definitely the best choice in Madeira if you want to go whale and dolphin watching! 🐬💙 From the very beginning, the whole team was incredibly friendly, professional and passionate. They made us feel comfortable and safe throughout the entire trip, while also sharing lots of interesting information about the marine life and the animals we encountered. Seeing the dolphins swimming freely alongside the boat was truly magical and an unforgettable experience. 🌊🐬 A huge thank you to the amazing Blue Safari team for making this experience so special! We couldn’t have asked for a better crew or a better way to discover Madeira from the ocean. Highly recommended! ⭐️

Tour guide and Skipper were awesome and they were very respectful towards the animals. In fact it was so amazing that we booked the same tour twice

The boat was comfortable. Guide knowledgable and spoke English, French, German, Portuguese and Dutch I think? Captain gave a great safe, thrilling ride.