Why the catamaran is the default boat here
Madeira drops into deep water fast, and the Atlantic that surrounds it does not always behave. A catamaran is the answer most groups actually want: two hulls, almost no roll, shade for the people who need it, nets at the front for the people who do not, and enough deck that a family is not sitting on top of each other for three hours. When swell closes the small boats, the catamarans are often still working.
Trips leave from Marina do Funchal and the Praça do Povo quay at Cais 8, which is a walk from most of the city’s hotels. Two established businesses run catamarans out of Funchal — one of them working the island since 2003 — alongside the marketplace listings that resell them.
What a catamaran day looks like
Almost every departure doubles as a cetacean trip, because the animals are simply there: more than 25 species have been recorded off this coast across the year, with resident dolphins and pilot whales. In summer the day usually includes a swim stop below the Cabo Girão cliff — a genuinely strange place to be floating — with water at roughly 18 to 24 °C depending on the month.
Around the animals, the boat is not free to do as it likes. The code of conduct sets a minimum of 50 m from cetaceans, speed limits inside 300 m, a cap on how many boats may be close at once and how long each may stay, and radio coordination between skippers, with IFCN overseeing it. A good crew explains this rather than apologising for it.
Prices and capacity
Shared catamaran days and whale-combo trips run about €40 to €45 per person, which is the cheapest way to get a big stable boat under you. Private hire of the whole boat is quoted per date. On capacity, one Funchal catamaran takes a maximum of 35 guests while the larger ones do not publish a figure — so if the size of the crowd matters to you, tell us and we confirm the actual number for the boat you are booked on rather than guessing.
Catamarans are also the family answer: they take young children comfortably, where RIB and speedboat trips typically set higher minimum ages.
Season, weather and cancellations
The island runs year-round and so do these boats; the south coast where Funchal sits is the sheltered side. Free cancellation up to about 24 hours before departure is the local norm, and if the sea makes the call for you it resolves as a reschedule or a refund on the boat’s terms.
Who runs the boat
Portuguese tourist-activity companies hold an RNAAT registration and display it, and Madeira has been enforcing that against unregistered operators. We arrange the booking, confirm it directly with the crew and stay your single contact; the skipper runs the boat.
Pair it with a whale- and dolphin-watching charter or a sunset cruise, or go private with a yacht charter from Funchal. Everything else on the island is on the Madeira destination page, and boats elsewhere on the boat charters page.
Request availability with your dates, group size and the ages of any children — we come back with real departures and real prices, and nothing is booked until you confirm.