Tenerife is a great place for some whale and dolphin watching. You can book a boat from Los Cristianos, Las Galletias, Puerto Colon and Los Gigantes, some of the boats have under water viewing where you can watch these magnificent animals in their natural environment.

As whale watching has become so popular, regulations have been put in place that limits the number of boats operating to protect the animals.

Short finned pilot whales are frequently seen off the south west cost of Tenerife where one of the world’s most important colonies is regularly seen. These whales can weigh more than 3000kg and reach a length of 5m.

Many other species can also be seen in the waters off the Canary Islands, as up to one third of all whale and dolphin species live or migrate through these waters, including sperm whales, and killer whales .

Dolphins are common off the Tenerife coast including the common dolphin and the bottlenose dolphin, and these dolphins are often seen swimming and jumping alongside of boats.

As well as whales and dolphins there are many other species of sea creatures to be observed on a boat trip including sharks, turtles and rays.