Whale and Dolphin Watching Tour från Funchal

Booked this experience well in advance, received a text message less than 24 hours before the trip claiming that there was an issue with one of the boats asking us to change time/day. This then meant one person in our party could not attend, no refund given, this was denied. On the date of the original booking we walked past the marina and saw that the boats were out, so clearly lied to. Having since looked at other reviews it appears this happens often with the same reason given. The actual boat trip for those of us able to attend was good, it’s a shame that poor customer service lets this company down.

Their smaller boat is a perfect set up for everyone to be comfortable and have a good view of cetaceans. The guides were great at locating them, letting us view them without interfering in their movement, and giving information. We went with this company for the opportunity to swim with the dolphins, which doesn't really seem to be a thing, but the viewing was great!

This trip was amazing from start to finish, it is the highlight of our holiday. The staff were friendly, accommodating, organised and knowledgeable. We felt safe at all times and the boat ride itself was exhilarating! We managed to see 2 different species of dolphins and some sperm whales. The dolphins were in large pods and very playful. We only booked the dolphin watching but were asked during the trip if we wanted to swim with the dolphins and then pay the extra cost at the end of the trip. My husband did this and said it was a memory he will never forget, an incredible experience. If you are thinking of doing this trip, stop thinking and just book it- I don’t think that you will regret it.

One of the best experiences of my life! The staff is very kind and clear, they are all professional biologists. The boats are relatively small and very safe. Traveling by speedboat guarantees seeing the greatest number of cetaceans by having the ability to move quickly. The tour lasted about two and a half hours and we had the chance to see three species of dolphins and one species of whale. We liked the tour so much that we booked another one right after. I wish it had never ended!

We went on a whale and dolphin tour last Saturday and it was superb. Exceptionally well run - the staff were brilliant. Very well informed briefing by Raquel (Marine Biologist) about how things were to run and what we may see. She was very knowledgable and certainly knew her stuff. We saw 3 Blaineville Beaked Whales - quite a rare sighting, followed by a huge pod (70 - 100) spotted dolphin who were racing beside the rib. It was spectacular. An incredible experience. I was very lucky to swim a bit later with a small pod of spotted dolphin and the experience will stay with me forever. Unfortunately my husband suffered from a bad bout of sea sickness during the trip but the crew and the staff back at base were very attentive and extremely kind. Thank you to Raquel and all the team you were brilliant! We will be back!!

Great boat and friendly crew. The number of people on the boat is not too high, and everyone can see easily. We were able to see two groups of many dolphins and a whale thanks to the information sent to the captain by observers on land. Swimming break in a very beautiful place. We had booked the excursion in French but there were people of different nationalities so everything was in English. Not a problem for us, but good to know if you are not comfortable in English. We recommend it!

Really well organised tour. Saw two different types of dolphins, Blythe whale and flying fish. We were out for about 2:45 mins

Exceptional. John, the pilot and Teresa, a sensational biologist aboard. They did not measure efforts to make us well accommodated and informed. I strongly suggest!

Misleading TripAdvisor description! We booked this service because it included swimming with the dolphins + equipment, except that once on the boat, we discovered that it was €20 extra per person and we couldn't just come up with €80 more like that. The description does not indicate any option and says that everything is included: swimming / equipment / binoculars. The family was extremely disappointed. The provider tells us that it is TripAdvisor that integrated their description incorrectly. We requested a partial refund but we expect, as usual, a ping-pong game regarding responsibility for the description.. Having taken the provider's brochure on-site, it is clearly an option, no ambiguity. (Note that apart from that, it was really great. The rating will be changed when TripAdvisor has validated our request and updated the description)

I’ve booked this experience for my birthday two months in advance, one day before the tour, I’ve received a message from them saying that their boat got a problem and they could not make it. Despite things like this are unpredictable and can happen, I found frustrating that there was no flexibility from the company on trying to add us in one of their other tours that day , and they simply canceled with no other options on the date we booked. ( The other time slots were working fine, at least in the morning as I saw it in the place) The communication was also vey minimal so we did not really understand what happened. They give me my money back with no problem