Tenerife: Where It All Began
Everything started for me in Tenerife—at least, my career as a guide did. When I first arrived, I was just beginning my journey. I originally went there to volunteer with an NGO called the Atlantic Whale and Dolphin Foundation. Our work involved going out on boats and collecting data on the marine animals present in the area.
I ended up spending quite a long time there. What started as just a one-week experience as a tourist eventually led to me becoming the manager of the organisation. That’s how everything began.
At that time, I didn’t have the mindset I have now, so I wasn’t as focused on the whale-watching industry in Tenerife or whether it was being conducted properly. However, later on WiseWhale came back there and it appeared that the whale-watching there was fairly well-managed. There weren’t a huge number of boats crowding the animals, and since fewer companies were operating back then, it was common to see just few boats near the whales at any given time.
As for the species, we can confidently say that pilot whales are the ones you can see basically every trip you take. Tenerife is an excellent place to see pilot whales because there is a resident population that stays there year-round. Unlike some other locations, they don’t use spotters, hydrophones, or any special equipment to find the whales. You simply go out on the boat, look around, and you’ll find them.
Anyway some regulations are in place during the whale watching activity:
• Keep a distance of at least 60 metres.
• Observe the maximum watching time of 30 minutes.
• Sail at slow speeds.
• Avoid concentrations of boats.
• Leave the area if the animals are being disturbed.
• Avoid sailing towards any whales and dolphins closer than 100m while the engine is in gear.
• Aim to approach and depart from whales from the side, following the direction of travel of the animal. Approaching whales or dolphins should never be initiated from the front or from the behind.
- If in any case the boat is approached by a whale or dolphin you should continue on your course with little change in direction or speed.
• Never cut through the path of the animals.
