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With its warm waters and plentiful supply of food, the seas around the Canary Islands have long been home to an itinerant population of dolphins and pilot whales. One glorious morning, we set off by yacht to see if we could find some of these wonderful creatures. Using a time honoured technique, the Captain tracked sea birds flying close to the water yet not landing. "The birds follow the shoals of fish being tracked by the dolphins, waiting to pick up the leftovers when they have had enough" he explained. Soon we came across a party of pilot whales gently basking in the sun. The pilot is not really a whale at all, but a member of the dolphin family. Unlike its smaller relative, the pilot whale shows no interest in human beings and was content to share the waters with us but no more. As we drifted along with the whales, a small brightly coloured motor boat came alongside another yacht which had just sailed into the vicinity. Our skipper explained that this was the Marine department of the Canarian ‘Eco-police’, whose job it is to ensure that boats do not get any closer than 60 metres to the whales. Our skipper explained further "There have been problems in the past with boats getting too close and keeping their propellers running" he said. "Before the 60-metre rule was introduced, a large number of whales were getting injured, so the government introduced regulations to keep all boats at least 60 metres away and also to stop propellers when observing the whales". The Eco-police have strong powers to enforce the rules, ranging from fines to taking away the skipper’s licence and impounding the boat. Leaving the whales to enjoy their rest in the sun, we continued on with our search for the dolphins. The sight of a turtle floating on the water brought an unexpected stop and another lesson from our skipper "Turtles have a problem with small crabs sometimes attaching themselves to their underbellies" he explained. "With the crabs attached, the turtle cannot dive and are unable to feed. Unless the crabs are removed, the turtle will eventually weaken from starvation and over exposure to the sun and will die". We cut engines and drifted gently aside so that the crew could capture the turtle and carefully remove the crab. Its unwanted passenger gone, the turtle returned to the water and immediately slipped below the waves. An hour or so later, the moment we had all been waiting for arrived, as a school of around twenty dolphins swam by to check us out. As they surrounded the yacht, we were struck by the feeling that we were a new plaything and they were showing off to attract our attention. Whilst it is foolish to attribute human feelings to another creature, it did seem that they were intimating "Is that as fast as you can go? Just watch this" as they swam alongside for a while, looked up at the prow and then with a powerful flick of their tails darted off at a rate of knots. Words cannot do justice to the experience and I, along with the other passengers, were reduced to uttering little more than sighs and squeals of delight as the dolphins played in the waters around us. We were also fascinated how they care for their young. As curious as the others about the newcomer, they were allowed to come just as close to the yacht, but at all times would be protected by two or three adults in attendance. The final thrill came when we were lucky enough to hear the dolphins communicating with each other – a series of clicks, squeaks and squeals which reduced us all to slack jawed amazement. Then, as fast as they had appeared, our new friends decided that their playmate was just too slow and cumbersome and sped off into the distance. Due to their natural inquisitiveness, it would be impossible to enforce any 60-metre rule, but engines must be cut when the dolphins are in range of the boat. Following the excitement, we were taken to a small bay for lunch and the chance to take a dip into the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean before a leisurely trip back home. Almost exclusively the topic of conversation was the dolphins and all agreed that this had been one of the most memorable experiences of their lives. Dolphins and pilot whales populate the waters off the coast of the Canary Islands all year round due to the climate and plentiful supply of food. Prices for a two week holiday start from around £295 self-catering and £500 half board. A yacht trip to see dolphins will cost between £25-30. There are a number of trips on the larger boats, but it is possible to take a private charter of a smaller vessel (around eight passengers) if you would prefer a more intimate experience. Back to Bob's index... |