Dolphin and Whale Watching Catamaran Cruise from Funchal by VMT

An enjoyable cruise on a catamaran. We did see dolphins. The staff were friendly. There were toilets and a drinks and snacks were available. Even though there were a lot of people on board it didn’t seem crowded. We were upstairs so the dolphin views were not the greatest. There was an opportunity to swim as well.

Excellent trip! We saw two types of whales, it was exciting! We still stopped in the cape of S. Vicente for a great dive in the sea! It was well worth it!

This was an amazing experience. The company was great, the boat wasn't too busy and they had great knowledge on where to find the dolphins and they delivered on this. We saw lots of dolphins and it was well worth spending the money on this trip.

This tour is a half day trip out from Funchal to spot dolphins and whales. The boat was a good size and didn't feel crowded even though there were a lot of people on board. There's a bar selling drinks and snacks and there are toilet facilities. The boat stopped in a bay to allow people to swim in the sea if wanted and the view of the coast on the sail back into Funchal was great. The dolphin / whale part of the tour was not so great. Obviously these are wild animals in their natural habitat so there's no guarantee you will see anything. We did see some dolphins. The tour stuck to eco guidelines and only stayed close to them for the max. 10 mins which was a positive. However there was very much a sense of "we've seen dolphins now, we are done looking". Once we'd spent the 10 mins we just powered off to the bay. We weren't particularly interested in swimming and less than half the boat went into the sea. We would have preferred to have less time for swimming and more time actually looking for whales, as this is what the trip is sold as, however, it was a nice morning out on the boat regardless.

Family, 12 people from 5 to 70 years old. We saw a dolphin pod after waiting for the current boat. Whale watching seems to have completely failed, we understand that whales are not always in the area but would have liked an explanation. The guide didn't say much about marine life. We also didn't get information on who onboard we could turn to with questions. In addition, the entire high music was played on the lower deck. We would have much preferred to listen to sounds from the sea. The opportunity to dip at Cab Girao was nice but not the main purpose of the trip.

It was a very pleasant morning on the catamaran, we spotted two different species of dolphins, which swam right very close and under the boat, too bad we didn't see any whales...the guides were very competent and calm. Low-volume music, something appreciated because in other experiences music on a boat risks becoming very annoying. We also made a stop for a dip in the ocean, very nice!

Lovely few hours onboard, seen 4 different groups of dolphins. Catamaran was spotlessly clean, staff helpful and friendly, tour on time leaving and arriving home. Really enjoyed the swim.

Fantastic experience. We say lots of dolphins and the crew were good fun. It’s a lovely way to spend an afternoon. Would highly recommend.

Went on a morning whale and dolphin cruise with my wife and two children (ages 11 and 7). Got there early and joined the line as it was forming, so we were close to the front and had a good choice of seats when we got on. My wife and I chose to sit on a front bench on the lower level, while our kids made straight for the netted area -- this is at the front, and you can lie down on the net and see into the water. My daughter was nervous at the beginning (she's not a big fan of boats), and didn't really enjoy being on the netting, but when she moved back a bit and sat to one of the sides, she was fine and started to love it. My son spent a long time on the nets, though he too moved back and to the sides later in the journey, and we gave up their places on the nets. We saw a large group of dolphins not long after setting off, and got very good up-close views of them. Then we saw a small group of whales later and got a good up-close look at those too. The catamaran was very smooth -- none of us got seasick, which was great, as my wife and I have both been seasick on other dolphin and whale watching tours that we have done in different countries in the past. None of us went swimming when we stopped (my wife and daughter had ear infections), but those who went in the water all seemed to really enjoyed it, and the rest of us got to admire the lovely view of Europe's largest cliff. Overall it was a very relaxing, enjoyable cruise. Our kids loved it. Highly recommended.

Criticism first. We went over to the kiosk early to double check everything and while very nice, didnt tell us we needed to come back to the kiosk to get a plastic boarding card nearer the departure. No biggee but we did end up joining the wrong queue, and ended up being advised by someone nice checking that queue. In this operators defence the kiosk next door were pretty terse, where as this lot were very nice. Once on the boat, very competent, good value and didnt gouge you on the drinks.