Most people who travel to Tenerife come here in the hope of seeing dolphins and whales in their natural habitat. Tenerife is a perfect island to fulfill these dreams, as around 1000 bottlenose dolphins live in the area between Tenerife and La Gomera, the second smallest island of the Canary Islands.
If dolphin and whale watching has a prominent spot on your bucket list, you are at the right place. Atlantic Divers, in line with scuba diving experiences, offers dolphin and whale watching excursions by boat to their clients. In this article, we will tell you all the important information that you need to know about these boat trips.
Dolphin and Whale watching by boat
Our partner, Mustcat, offers highly entertaining and insightful boat trips, leaving from the port of Las Galletas, which is just a 8-9 mins drive away from our diving center. You can choose either a 2-hour-long trip or a 4-hour-long trip. But how do you know which one fits your needs more? Well, here is a detailed list of what they include:
2-hour-long boat trip:
- Leaves from the port of Las Galletas
- Drinks included
- Sandwiches included
- Professional staff who informs you about the marine life of the Atlantic Ocean
- Scuba diving opportunity – not included in price
- Snorkeling opportunity – snorkel gear on board
- Trained and certified staff, who keeps the safety of dolphins and whales in mind
- The boat sails next to Palm Mar and Las Americas
- Free shuttle from and to your hotel
4-hour-long boat trip:
- Leaves from the port of Las Galletas
- Drinks included
- Vegetable Paella included
- Professional staff who informs you about the marine life of the Atlantic Ocean
- Scuba diving opportunity – not included in price
- Snorkeling opportunity – snorkel gear on board
- Trained and certified staff, who keeps the safety of dolphins and whales in mind
- The boat sails next to Palm Mar, Las Americas and Los Cristianos
- Free shuttle from and to your hotel
When do these trips leave from the airport?
The shorter excursion starts in the morning at 9:00 AM, while the longer excursion starts in the afternoon at 1:00 PM.
How should you prepare for this boat trip?
As on the open ocean you may experience stronger winds, we advise you to take a light jacket or a jumper with you, though a big towel can be enough to cover your upper body if you are a little bit cold.
Don’t forget to take sun protection, such as a hat or sun scream, highly recommended for people with fair or sensitive skin. Also, make sure you wear your swimming suit or bikini if you want to jump into the water to snorkel, or if you want to relax and take some sun in on the deck.
You don’t have to take food or drink with you, as there is a free bar on board, from where you can order water, wine, beer, sparkling wine, sangría or fruit juice. The crew doesn’t serve coffee.
What can you see on this excursion?
The most anticipated moment of this excursion when you spot bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales gracefully swimming near the boat in their natural habitat. The pilot whales you can see here are much smaller in size like other whale species. Their body length is around 6,5 meters, the males are usually 1 meter longer than females. They have dark grey, black and brown colour, but the most common colors you can discover around the island are dark grey and black. They usually swim in herds, as they are really social animals, so when you spot one whale, there are certainly others around.
During the excursion, the boat will approach the fish farms near Las Americas and Palm Mar, which is a popular feeding spot of bottlenose dolphins. These incredible clever species weigh around 300 kg (660 pounds) and the length of a full-grown dolphin can reach 4 meters (13 feet). They can live for more than 40 years, which is a lot more when they are held in captivity when their life span shrinks to around 7-8 years.
With all of this important information in your pockets, are you ready to set sail and have an experience of a lifetime? You can book your spot to the dolphin and whale watching boat excursion in our office, in Costa del Silencio in our opening hours.