Great experience - Superb experience. The crew is very pleasant, very good explanations We were able to see different species of dolphins.

Go there with your eyes closed! - Very serious and very professional. Respect the animals observed (which is not the case for all). The guide is friendly, accessible and passionate. The approach to the animals is commented on and is done very gently. No dolphins this time for us (it's nature, not a movie) but even better, we had the privilege of observing Blainville's beaked whales, animals that are difficult to study because they are very shy. We were able to accompany them for a good quarter of an hour, before another company, much less respectful, arrived like a cannonball, then left just as dry, engines at full blast 🤨 The guide explained in English, French, Portuguese the lifestyles and particularities of the whales seen, and listened to all the passengers, as well as the rest of the crew. In the top ! Congratulations to this serious, professional and pleasant team! What happiness! ++++

A Must See! - Definitely a worthy trip to see the wonders of the coasts of Madeira. We saw lots of pilot dolphins and a sperm whale, we got close enough to take great photos with no rush to move on. All in all an amazing trip!

Brilliant - We’ll organised and Carolina our marine biologist was hugely informative. Came across after about 40 minutes a pod of pilot whales, with some bottlenose dolphins. Then a bit further on we came across a pod of spotted dolphins and those that paid to swim by the side of the rib boat were able to do so. I recommend Rota as your go to for this type of experience in Funchal

It's not worth the detour. - Good organization, short debriefing before starting but unfortunately we only saw a few dolphin fins at the very beginning of the sea trip and then 1h30 of dead calm until returning to the port.

It's not in Spanish - My reservation was in Spanish. When I arrived at the office, they told me that there were people of all nationalities and the activity was going to be in English. The girl who accompanied us (not her fault) spoke almost no Spanish. The problem is that I have reserved something that has not been fulfilled.

***CAUTION*** Only Suitable in Calm Seas & Sunny Weather - We had booked the trip 1 week earlier and unfortunately on 12th March there was light rain, low grey clouds and grey and choppy sea. As we left the port, it was clear in the poor weather conditions we were not going to see any whales, dolphins, turtles, etc and Rota probably knew that BUT did not cancel and reschedule the trip - and that is not acceptable. We spent over 2 hours there and back, riding a bucking bronco, rollercoaster getting soaked and the extent of their search was simply to motor to the fish farm and then motor back to port. Other reviews at different times of the year when the weather has been good, indicate this has been a great experience; so our advice is CHECK THE WEATHER FORECAST & BOOK CAREFULLY… otherwise this is a ‘rip-off’ and you are quite literally just taken for a ride!

Untrustworthy! - One day before the trip, I was informed that the tours for the next day had been cancelled due to bad weather. But since the weather looked very sunny, I became a little skeptical. I went to the pier at the time I had actually booked and hey presto: the tours were taking place!! A promoter on site then told me that my booking had been cancelled because the operator preferred to make room for the cruise ship guests because he earned more that way. Apparently that's the norm. I had booked a month in advance! If I had been told this at the time of booking, I would have tried to book another whale watching tour. Unfortunately, one day before, I had no chance of booking another tour and so my only day that I spent on Madeira was a flop thanks to this operator. Of course, I contacted the operator, but to this day I have not received a response. I had to contact Tripadvisor so that I could at least get my money back, because the operator apparently didn't care at all. It's a shame that the good reviews led me astray!

Be very careful before booking this trip. - Very disappointing. I would give no stars if possible. This was a very unpleasant experience the driver's speed causing the rib to repeatedly rise out of the waves and smack back down to the water, it was a cross between a rollercoaster and a bucking bronco. Other passengers were screaming every time the boat hit the water. This is not relaxing. Do NOT go on the trip if you have any back, neck, head or retinal issues. You sit straddling the chair holding a metal frame. This is NOT comfortable. You will be bounced up and down and up and down with force. As others have commented they drive you really fast to a pod of dolphin then get you back to Funchal port via the coast. I didn't want a coastal tour, I was hoping to see the short fin pilot whales as well as the dolphin. As soon as they spot something it is a quick watch and then back to port. I was hoping to learn from experienced and passionate marine biologists, the staff in the office and on board seem uninterested and certainly did not exhibit any sense of customer care. There is nothing on the website or leaflet about any health and safety or any considerations for people with underlying medical conditions. The staff in the office and on board seemed bored. I was hoping for a privileged wildlife experience in the hands of experts. In stead I felt physically abused, I still have back ache 3 days later. One of the other passengers shouted to the driver that he was a f*****g moron. He seemed to be doing it for fun - just to upset us all. Once we complained they calmed down. Also note that they tell you to use the toilets in the centre before departure but they DONT tell you the toilets need cash, 50cents. If you still want to do this trip spend your EUR55 carefully , wait until you see the weather conditions and perhaps there are more opportunities outside of December for multiple species. I learned nothing.

An experience to unfortunately forget - Unfortunately our experience of whale and dolphin watching was not a good one. We went out on a rib boat and were really looking forward to what we hoped would be a memorable afternoon. Whilst fully accepting that we were at the mercy of mother nature in terms of what we would see, the entire afternoon was a complete damp squib, literally. We were told it was likely that we would get a little wet due to the conditions. However, this was an understatement. Within approximately 20 mins we were drenched from head to toe including shoes wet through. We could have been standing under a shower, so wet were we. Nobody was prepared for this and we strongly believe that the crew should have properly explained what the conditions would be like before setting off and given everyone the option whether they still wanted to go out to sea. There were people of the rib requesting to go back to shore (the request was not accepted) as not only were the conditions at sea pretty bad but the cold weather coupled with the sodden clothes resulted in a number of people shivering with cold, which is how they remained for the best part of 2 hours. All really unpleasant. To round the afternoon off we didn't see any whales although we did came across several dolphins. Not what we had been hoping to see but we accept that whales being in the area is not something the crew have any control over. All in all we have to say the afternoon was really unpleasant, really uncomfortable and nothing liked we hoped it would be. I'm sorry to have to give such a review and I am sure others will have a far better experience, but this really was a day to forget.