This is the most common question and there are two answers.
The best time of the year depends on many factors. Unlike most whale and dolphin watching destinations, Tenerife has resident pods of Pilot whales and Bottlenose dolphins ensuring wonderful whale watching all year round. Throughout the year there are different cetacean species that do migrate to Tenerife. If you would like to know more about what we are currently seeing on our tours we recommend visiting our Facebook page.
The best time of the day depends a bit on what you hope to see. As the Pilot whales are our main resident species we can generalise about their daily activity. Typically the Pilot whales are calm and resting during the morning tours. As the day gets later and the ocean typically a bit rougher, the Pilot whales tend to get more active as well.

We often encounter the first group of whales or dolphins within the first kilometre or 20 minutes after leaving the marina. Generally speaking we stay within 2-3 kilometres of the coast as this area is the most cetacean rich area of the Tenerife marine environment. Weather permitting, since we have a quick and seaworthy custom built whale watching boat, we can explore further offshore where we have the best chances of finding different species of whales and dolphins for some of the most magical encounters.

The Tenerife Whale Watching regulations require us to stay 60 meters from the whales. We are dedicated to supporting sustainable tourism and our expert staff have a combined 40 years experience conducting whale watching tours. However, the whales and dolphins do not know the regulations and often they come closer to the boat as they are curious – these are some of the best moments when the whales and dolphins decide to do some ‘people watching’..

Pilot Whales are the most common whale species we see as there is a large resident population plus transient groups that hunt off the southern coast of Tenerife. We see them on 99% of our tours. We do also occasionally see Bryde’s whales and infrequently Sperm whales, Fin whales and Beaked whales. During their seasonal migrations we have also seen Humpback whales and Sei whales in Tenerife.

Bottlenose dolphins are the most common dolphin species observed on our tours. We see Bottlenose dolphins on 70% of our tours. Our tours also regularly see Atlantic Spotted Dolphins. We see other dolphin species occasionally during the Tenerife whale watching season including; Common dolphins and Striped dolphins.   Infrequently we encounter Rough-toothed dolphins, Frasers dolphins, Risso’s dolphins and even Orcas in Tenerife.

If you suffer from motion sickness you can get sick on any boat. Our custom built 8 meter rigid hull inflatable boat is the kind used by most professional whale watching companies around the world as it is fast, nimble and safe. Our guests often remark how enjoyable a ride it is.
Regardless, if you typically suffer from motion sickness take precautions. Pressure wrist bands may work or if you use a medication, be sure to take it at least 45 minutes before departure. We recommend avoiding drinking the night before a tour and avoiding a heavy meal before going out as well.