Whale watching Tenerife

On this page you can compare and book several registered Tenerife boat trips. In addition, you will find a lot of info about the whale and dolphin species and how best to spot them.

Best whale watching Tenerife

It is difficult to say what is the best boat trip whale watching in Tenerife. This is because it depends on your preferences and your budget. Although one of the most popular whale watching tours in Tenerife is by sailboat. One of the reasons is that those whale watching tours take place in small groups. The whale watching video below from Club Canary explains the Atlantic Star boat tour. This is more or less the standard program of every available boat you find below. A special exception is that if you book this boat trip (Atlantic Star) with Club Canary you get the guarantee of spotting whales and dolphins and if you don’t get them, you get your money back.

Boat trips in Tenerife

Here are some tips to help you prepare for one of the Tenerife whale watching tours.

1. Dress in layers: The weather on the ocean can change quickly. Therefore, it is important to dress in layers that you can easily add or remove, depending on the temperature and the time you go on a boat trip.
2. Bring sunscreen and a hat: The sun in the Canary Islands can be intense on the water, so it is important to protect yourself from sunburns.
3. Bring binoculars: Binoculars will help you get a better look at the Tenerife whales and hopefully other wildlife you may see on the trip. If you don’t have these, do not worry normally the boat gets close enough to admire the whales and dolphins with your naked eyes.
4. Bring motion sickness medication: If you’re prone to motion sickness, it’s a good idea to bring medication or other remedies to help prevent it. You can find more tips to prevent it in our seasickness blog.
5. Drink enough: It can be tremendously hot in the Canary Islands. It is therefore important to drink enough during your Tenerife boat trip. The good news is that just about every boat trip offered by Club Canary on this page has water and other drinks included.

Boat trips Tenerife

All Tenerife boats that Club Canary works with, operate with respect for environmental regulations and have been awarded the Blue Flag, a recognition for their ecological compliance. This recognition means that you can observe whales and dolphins in a sustainable and respectful way. The purpose of Tenerife whale and dolphin watching boat trips is to admire and study the animals and disturb them as little as possible.

Boat tour Tenerife

You can spot whales and dolphins in Tenerife all year round. With this in mind, we recommend booking your Tenerife boat tours in advance, regardless of the time of year. In high season, popular Tenerife boat trips can be fully booked weeks in advance, so you should book in advance to ensure a place on board. In low season, booking in advance ensures that we have the minimum number of people needed to organize the Tenerife whale and dolphin excursion.

Private boat trips

Whale excursions on this page are shared trips Tenerife boat trips. If you are looking for more luxury and privacy, you can opt for a private boat trip. Club Canary has a great selection of boat hire in Tenerife with a captain. Currently, this is a very popular way to experience something extra special and put together a trip to your liking. If you have money to spend or something to celebrate, a private boat trip in Tenerife is definitely worthwhile.

Fishing trips

In addition to people booking boat trips to spot whales and dolphins, Tenerife’s waters are also rich with fish. Visitors can go fishing in Tenerife to catch tuna, swordfish and other species. Boats and equipment are provided and trips can be arranged for both experienced and novice fishermen.

Tenerife whale watching season

The Tenerife whale watching season typically runs from late December through April. During this time, various species of whales and dolphins can be seen off the coast of the island, including pilot whales, sperm whales, and bottlenose dolphins. The peak Tenerife whale watching season is usually in January and February, when the largest number of whales can be seen. However, it’s important to note that the exact timing of the whale watching season in Tenerife can vary from year to year depending on a variety of factors such as weather conditions and migration patterns of the whales.

Whales in Tenerife

Tenerife is known for its diverse population of whales and dolphins. Some of the most common species of whales you may encounter when you book whale watching excursions in Tenerife with Club Canary are: Pilot whales, Sperm whales, Fin whales and Humpback whales. The biggest chances you have of seeing during your Tenerife boat trip are pilot whales and with some luck the sperm whales we will tell you more about them below.

Pilot whales

The most famous whale species that you can encounter year-round near Tenerife are the pilot whales. Pilot whales are often spotted in large groups and can grow up to about six and a half meters and have a life span of around 45 years. The favorite snacks of the pilot whales around the Canary Islands are giant squids, which they often catch at depths of over 300 meters. The main danger for pilot whales around the Canary Islands are large boats like ferries that cannot change their track and killer whales. Orcas usually pass by the Canary Islands several times a year for a short period and prey on infant pilot whales.

Sperm whales

One amazing sight for your eye to encounter are sperm whales. These whales are not often spotted on whale watching excursions in Tenerife, but the chances of seeing them are somewhere around 8%. Sperm whales can grow up to 16 meters long. Like pilot whales, sperm whales hunt giant squid. They are said to be natural enemies of each other, and you often see scars on the sperm whales because of a fight with the squid. The greatest danger to sperm whales around the Canary Islands is ferry traffic and orcas. Although the adult sperm whales can defend themselves well, the calves are vulnerable until they are big enough. Another interesting fact is that in the past, pilot whales have also been found to have attacked sperm whales and shown aggressive behavior.

Dolphin watching Tenerife

Although whale watching is a very unique experience, there are also many people who would like to see dolphins in Tenerife. This is no surprise since dolphins are normally a lot more active than whales and can swim alongside the boat and even jump up high out of the water. The good news is that in addition to whales, dolphins can also be spotted in Tenerife all year round. Typically, 4 out of 10 Tenerife boat trips will spot them. The most common dolphin is the bottle nose dolphin and the spotting dolphin. Many people also wonder if it is possible to swim with dolphins in Tenerife, in short it is not possible since they are wild dolphins, and we want to leave the nature in peace as much as possible.

Bottlenose dolphin

The bottlenose dolphin is common in Tenerife, so much so that it is considered a resident species. It is the best known of the dolphins, being the largest of its species. It is gray with a white belly. Males grow up to 4 meters long and weigh 600 kg; females are slightly smaller. Bottlenose dolphins usually live to be 40-60 years old. Although they live underwater, bottlenose dolphins must come to the surface to breathe air. They can hold their breath underwater for about seven minutes. Spotting bottlenose dolphins on a Tenerife boat trip is an awesome experience.

Atlantic spotted dolphin

The Atlantic spotted dolphin is very similar to the bottlenose dolphin, but can be distinguished from it by the tiny spots that appear on its skin as an adult. The spotted dolphin can be observed on our whale and dolphin watching tours in Tenerife. The Canary Islands’ deep marine ecosystem and marine currents create a perfect environment for spotted dolphins to hunt and feed. They are usually active with long shallow jumps and often ride the bow past the boat.

Whale watch Tenerife

Club Canary has compiled a map of locations where you can see where boat trips in Tenerife leave from. In addition, you can see where the whale tours go to spot whales and dolphins.