Swimming With Pilot Whales: Is It Allowed in Tenerife?

This article first began as a story about floating in the water beside whales and learning patience. I rewrote it, because I do not have a verified account of that kind of encounter to give you here, and I do not want to invent one. What I can give you is what science says about pilot whales, what the rules in Spain say, and what I still do not know. That feels like a more honest way to talk about swimming with pilot whales.

Who pilot whales are

The short-finned pilot whale is a large oceanic dolphin with a rounded head and a dark body. It is called a whale by tradition, like the killer whale, and both belong to the toothed whales. It is the species people usually mean when they talk about pilot whales near Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. The IUCN Red List assesses it as Least Concern, according to the species pages of the Convention on Migratory Species. That is a global status. It does not tell us how any single local group is doing.

Pilot whales live in close family groups, and family matters. In the 1980s, researchers Helene Marsh and Toshio Kasuya studied around 300 short-finned pilot whales, counting growth rings in their teeth to know their age. They found that females stopped reproducing around the age of 36 but lived for about 14 more years. That work is widely described as the first discovery of menopause in an animal other than humans.

A 2024 study in Nature, led by Samuel Ellis at the University of Exeter with colleagues from the University of York and the Center for Whale Research, went further. It found that menopause has evolved in five toothed whale species: short-finned pilot whales, false killer whales, killer whales, narwhals and belugas. Females of these species live about 40 years longer than expected for their body size, while their reproductive years stay the same. The researchers suggest this gives older females time to support their children and grandchildren. In other words, an older female pilot whale is not a spare animal. She is likely the centre of her family.

Why Tenerife comes up

The waters off southwest Tenerife are known for pilot whales that can be seen through much of the year. A 2023 study by researchers linked to the University of St Andrews looked at site fidelity and movements of short-finned pilot whales across the Canary Islands. Among 1,320 well-marked individuals across the archipelago, it identified a group of about 50 “core resident” whales associated with Tenerife, plus transient whales that come and go. Travel articles often give bigger numbers, like a “pod” of several hundred. I trust the peer-reviewed figure more, and I note that the two are counting different things.

The area between Teno and Rasca is part of the European Natura 2000 network as a Special Area of Conservation, which OceanCare describes as the largest in the Canary Islands. OceanCare also calls this the largest population of the species in EU waters and one of only four known resident populations in the world. There is a conflict too: a stretch of coast in the middle was left out of the protected area because of a planned port at Fonsalía, which local and international groups oppose.

Can you swim with pilot whales in Tenerife? What the rules say

Spain protects whales and dolphins with Royal Decree 1727/2007, published in the official state bulletin (BOE no. 11, 12 January 2008). It creates a moving protection space of 500 metres around a cetacean or group of cetaceans, with an exclusion zone of at least 60 metres measured at the water surface. Article 4 lists what is considered to harm, disturb or upset cetaceans, including physical contact, feeding them, cutting across their path, separating a group or coming between a mother and calf, and bathing or diving inside the 60-metre exclusion zone. Annex II asks boats in the protection space to keep a constant speed of no more than four knots, and to put the engine in neutral, or stop it, if animals come within 60 metres. Material from Spain’s environment ministry says breaking the cetacean and marine protection rules can bring fines from €100 up to €2,000,000.

The Canary Islands go further. Their Decree 178/2000 on whale watching, published in the Boletín Oficial de Canarias on 6 October 2000, lists swimming or diving within 500 metres of a cetacean or group of cetaceans as an offence. Rules can be amended, so please check the current rule before you travel. But the direction is clear: the framework is about keeping boats at a distance, not about putting people in the water. If anyone sells you an in-water swim with pilot whales in Tenerife, ask which authorisation covers it, and ask to see it.

What a good encounter looks like

Whatever the species, a good encounter follows the same order. The animal decides. The boat stays out of the animals’ path and keeps its distance. The group is small. Nobody chases, feeds, touches or herds. The skipper limits the time near the pod and moves away if the animals seem unsettled. This does not give you the close-up photos that adverts promise, and some days you only see a few dark backs and blows in the distance. I think that is a fair deal.

Our notes on pilot whale facts and ethical encounters, on watching Tenerife’s pilot whales responsibly and on why wildlife encounters can never be guaranteed go further.

The conservation side: why we do not sell this

Pilot whales have a complicated relationship with people. In some places they are hunted or end up stranded in large numbers, and in others they live close to heavy boat traffic. Our piece on why pilot whale strandings keep making headlines covers the stranding side.

The reasoning I follow is simple. A resident group meets boats every day, so the disturbance does not stop between visits. Older females seem to support their families for decades after they stop breeding. When the rules keep swimmers this far away, and the animals are this socially complex, there is nothing to weigh: Ocean Calling does not sell it. We work with vetted local operators, our hosted retreats take six guests at most, we never chase, touch or bait wildlife, and anyone can skip any activity. We also know that a whale trip has its own environmental cost, starting with the flight and the boat fuel. One more reason to do it slowly and well, or not at all.

How to watch pilot whales kindly

Seeing pilot whales from a licensed boat that respects the distances is a different matter, and in the right place it can be done well. Ask the operator before you book: how close do you go, how long do you stay with a group, and what do you do when the animals move away? A good skipper will answer without hesitation.

Pack simply. A roll-top dry bag keeps your phone and papers dry, and a rash guard or light long sleeves help, because a drifting boat on a bright day is an easy way to get sunburnt. A low-volume mask and snorkel belongs on the reef day, not around whales.

Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Pilot whale watching should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance.

If this made you curious to meet the ocean this way, you can explore our retreats.

Questions people ask

Can you swim with pilot whales in Tenerife?

No. The Canary Islands’ Decree 178/2000 lists swimming or diving within 500 metres of a cetacean as an offence, and Spain’s Royal Decree 1727/2007 counts bathing or diving inside its 60-metre exclusion zone as disturbing the animals. Check the current rules before you travel. Ocean Calling does not offer pilot whale swims.

Do pilot whales go through menopause?

Yes. Research from the 1980s found that female short-finned pilot whales stop reproducing around age 36 and live about 14 more years. A 2024 Nature study found menopause in five toothed whale species, whose females live about 40 years longer than expected for their size.

How many pilot whales live off Tenerife?

A 2023 study identified about 50 core resident short-finned pilot whales associated with Tenerife, among 1,320 well-marked individuals across the Canary Islands. Travel articles often quote larger numbers, which count different things.

Are pilot whales endangered?

Globally, the short-finned pilot whale is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Local groups can still face pressures like boat traffic, and the Tenerife area is protected as a Special Area of Conservation.

Are pilot whales really whales?

They are large oceanic dolphins called whales by tradition. Like killer whales, they belong to the toothed whales.

What is the best way to see pilot whales responsibly?

From a licensed boat that keeps the legal distance, with a small group, no chasing and no time pressure. Ask the operator how they behave when the animals move away.

Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is free to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.

Sources & further reading

1. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 2007. Real Decreto 1727/2007, de 21 de diciembre, por el que se establecen medidas de protección de los cetáceos.
2. Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica (MITECO). Navegación responsable con cetáceos.
3. Alcaidesa Marina. How to behave with your boat if you spot dolphins or whales.
4. University of St Andrews research portal, 2023. Site fidelity and movement patterns of short-finned pilot whales in the Canary Islands.
5. University of Exeter, 2024. Menopause explains why some female whales live so long (on Ellis et al., Nature).
6. University of York, 2024. Menopause helps female whales live long.
7. Atlas Obscura. Animal menopause (on the Marsh and Kasuya pilot whale research).
8. Convention on Migratory Species, Western African Aquatic Mammals. Short-finned pilot whale species page (IUCN status).
9. OceanCare. Protecting the habitat of whales and dolphins off Tenerife: OceanCare joins Save Fonsalía Platform.
10. Boletín Oficial de Canarias no. 133, 6 October 2000. Decreto 178/2000, de 6 de septiembre, por el que se regulan las actividades de observación de cetáceos (article 13.2).

Further reading on Ocean Calling: Pilot whale facts · Tenerife's pilot whales · More from the journal · Wildlife & the law · See the retreats · Ocean Atlas