Madeira: my home
Madeira is where WiseWhale has spent more time than anywhere else. Compared to many places where we’ve done whale watching, Madeira has some of the strictest regulations.
A licensing system and maximum time and number of boats operating in the archipelago is established.
First of all, in Madeira, any company offering whale-watching tours must have a license. This system has a huge impact because it means that if you don’t have a license, you simply cannot conduct whale-watching tours or take people out to see the whales.
In many other places, even if there are regulations, enforcement can be weak. You might see licensed boats with official flags, but at the same time, there could be countless other boats without permits entering the area and disturbing the animals. In Madeira, this doesn’t happen. Here, every licensed boat has a designated flag, and if an unauthorised boat approaches, it is immediately reported to the authorities.
We haven’t seen this level of enforcement anywhere else. In some other locations, even if you’re on a licensed boat and an unlicensed boat gets too close, no one really takes action. But in Madeira, it’s different—if someone without a permit approaches the observation area, people immediately notify the authorities.
Madeira has a zoning system in place for whale watching. In certain areas, only two boats are allowed per group of animals, while in others, only one boat is permitted. There are also designated zones where no boats are allowed near the animals, providing them with a stress-free environment to rest without disturbance from whale-watching activities.
When it comes to the animals, it’s not just about the approach, speed, and distance—although these are standard regulations in Madeira, not just guidelines- but there are also a couple of other important rules that set Madeira apart.
These rules include minimum distances (50m), a maximum time with the animals per boat (10 min), and a maximum of 40 min of continuous observation time per group. After this period the group should not be approached for 2 hours.
It is also established a maximum of 3 daily trips per boat.
One key rule is the amount of time you can spend with the animals. In Madeira, the limit is 10 minutes per encounter. This isn’t just a suggestion—it’s enforced because other boats are waiting for their turn. Another important rule is that only two boats are allowed near a group of animals at any given time. I’m specifically referring to the Funchal area, where this system is strictly followed.
You can imagine that if only two boats are allowed and each can stay for just 10 minutes, other boats will be waiting in line for their turn. Authorities monitor this closely to ensure compliance. In other places, even if the code of conduct says 20 or 30 minutes, there’s often no enforcement. Since all boats are allowed around the animals, no one really checks how long each stays. It’s entirely up to the company’s responsibility to decide when to leave, which doesn’t always happen in a timely manner.
Of course, there can still be issues, such as unlicensed boats or occasional lapses in enforcement, but overall, Madeira has some of the strictest regulations and the best enforcement I’ve seen.
That being said, there is one aspect of Madeira’s policies that we don’t particularly like—swimming with dolphins. Some companies are allowed to offer this experience if they pay for a special permit. However, it is only permitted with two species: the Atlantic spotted dolphin and the common dolphin.
Aside from that, let’s talk about swimming with dolphins. It’s not what most people imagine. Many tourists pay for the experience thinking “Oh, we’ll be freely swimming with the animals”, having this magical interaction. But that’s not how it works.
In reality, you’re attached to the boat the entire time. You enter the water, hold onto a rope with your mask on, and that’s it—you can’t move. The dolphins will either come to you or they won’t. And this process is repeated over and over.
Even though there are regulations on the number of people allowed in the water and the time they can spend there, we still believe this is problematic. We think swimming with dolphins should be banned, especially as a business. It can be understood if someone is simply in the ocean and a dolphin or a whale happens to come close—that’s different. The issue is that this has become a commercial activity, purely about making money, rather than respecting the animals.
We have seen people being sent into the water even when the ocean was rough, which is extremely dangerous. And that’s not even considering the stress this puts on the dolphins. In Madeira, the regulations state that people shouldn’t enter the water if the dolphins are feeding or if there are babies present. But this rule is rarely enforced.
Every time people enter the water, it causes stress for the dolphins. Imagine a pod swimming, jumping, and engaging in their natural behaviours—and then suddenly, people are in the water. This inevitably disrupts their behaviour. Whether the dolphins come close, swim away, or ignore the swimmers, the fact that they are forced to react at all means we’re interfering with their natural activity. If they choose to move away, that alone is a sign of stress.
