🐬 Responsible Watching Regulations & Blue Flag Environment
Explore without leaving a trace.
Sailing in protected Blue Flag areas means respecting marine life and following a set of rules to help preserve the ecosystem. During our excursions, it is essential to maintain a safe distance from cetaceans, avoid sudden maneuvers, and minimize engine noise. Our team is fully committed to these responsible practices so you can enjoy marine wildlife without disturbing it.
🌊 Marine species you can spot in Fuerteventura
Below are some of the cetacean species that live in or migrate through the waters of Fuerteventura. Each one has its own unique characteristics, behaviors, and fascinating traits.
Species observed: All images were taken on board the BJ between February and May 2024.
Fin whale
The fin whale is the largest cetacean you can observe in Fuerteventura. Its size is second only to the blue whale, which is very rarely seen in the Canary Islands, with occasional sightings around Tenerife and La Gomera. It sometimes breaches and can reach speeds of up to 30 km/h. Although it can grow up to 26 meters in length, this is exceptional—most individuals are significantly smaller.
Bryde’s whale
The Bryde’s whale is a solitary cetacean, rarely seen in large groups—though they may gather in areas where food is plentiful. Despite its size, it is an agile animal, and its swimming style is more similar to that of a dolphin than a typical whale. It can even breach out of the water.
(Photo taken in September 2023)
Sperm whale
The sperm whale is the only great whale that has teeth. It feeds on fish and large cephalopods, such as giant squid.
It can remain submerged for over 2 hours, diving to depths of up to 3 km in search of food.
Sperm whales live in groups, including “bachelor” pods made up of young, sexually inactive males, and nursery groups of 20 to 25 individuals—though they can sometimes be even larger.
It has the largest brain of any animal on Earth. Its teeth are also the largest in the animal kingdom, reaching up to 20 cm in length and weighing as much as 1 kg each. Adult males can grow up to 20.5 meters long.
Sperm whales often rest by floating motionless at the surface. Their wide tail is easily recognizable when lifted just before a deep dive.
Common Dolphin
It is easily recognizable by its color pattern, with a dark "V" shape right below the dorsal fin, or by its hourglass-shaped markings. It is usually seen in very large groups, and their leaps can often be seen and even heard from afar. Their high-pitched whistles can be heard above the water, and their dives can last up to 8 minutes, although they usually last between 10 seconds and 2 minutes. This is a very active dolphin, known for making spectacular jumps out of the water, sometimes even performing somersaults. It is one of the most abundant cetaceans on the planet, with a total population estimated at several million individuals.
Bottlenose Dolphin
This is the most well-known dolphin, commonly seen in dolphinariums as part of aquatic shows, as well as in TV series and movies. Its coloration is quite varied, although depending on the light, it may appear to be a uniform grey color. When feeding, individuals help each other and may even cooperate with local fishermen on occasion.
It is a very strong and robust dolphin that can reach up to 3.9 meters in length. It often leaps in front of boats and is very curious and active.
Spotted Dolphin
This is a very active dolphin and an excellent jumper, sometimes reaching great heights in the air, where it seems to hang suspended before falling back down with big splashes. Newborns do not have spots; these appear as they grow older and become larger and more numerous in the oldest individuals.
They like to follow the wakes of boats and are very friendly, sometimes even approaching divers underwater. It is an exclusively Atlantic species and is becoming increasingly common in the Canary Islands.
Striped Dolphin
Striped Dolphin The striped dolphin is quite easy to identify thanks to its characteristic markings along its sides. It dives to at least 200 meters in search of food, with dives lasting between 5 and 10 minutes. It can form very large groups of up to 500 individuals, although in the Atlantic they are usually less than 100. It often associates with the common dolphin, which is similar in size and shape but has different color patterns.
Risso's Dolphin (Grampus griseus)
Risso's Dolphin (Grampus griseus) They are relatively easy to identify by their bodies, which are covered in scars that increase with age. Their color lightens as they get older, so many adult individuals are almost completely white, although there is a wide range of variation, with some adults being as dark as other types of pilot whales.
They have a slightly bulging forehead that drops steeply towards the mouth, where no beak is visible.
It is one of the species, along with the bottlenose dolphin, that comes closest to the coast in the Canary Islands. They usually make short dives lasting between 1 and 2 minutes, but can remain underwater for up to 30 minutes.
Short-finned Pilot Whale
The short-finned pilot whale is one of the cetaceans that can occasionally be seen in Fuerteventura, although there are resident populations in the Canary Islands all year round, particularly between the islands of Tenerife and La Gomera.
Sometimes entire pods can be seen floating at the surface. It is black or dark grey in color and has a rounded forehead. It can dive for about 40 minutes, reaching depths of up to 1,000 meters in search of squid and other cephalopods, which make up its diet.
In its head and rounded forehead is the organ known as the “melon,” which is common to all toothed cetaceans. It is believed to play a role in echolocation (some animals emit sounds into their surroundings and interpret the echoes produced by objects around them).
Groups are made up of 10 to 30 individuals and have a matriarchal structure.
