Holiday La Palma: Dolphin Spotting from Tazacorte

Our latest adventure was the very much awaited for boat trip from the Puerto de Tazacorte.

This was the big one on my List of Things to do on La Palma and I can't tell you how long I've waited for this! Well, if pressed, probably 15 years but with a whole lot of other things clamouring for attention, it's only in the last few years that it is has doggedly moved up to pole position. But still held held back by the self-closing doors of time and opportunity.

Until as luck would have it (and with David's family over on holiday) we found ourselves staying at one of the
self-catering apartments at Tazacorte and right by the marina for a whole week. This was my big chance!!
😊😊
As many of you will know there are several boats that run trips to see the dolphins and whales from Tazacorte Marina. A sighting is not guaranteed of course but a visit to the Cueva Bonita and the chance to swim or snorkel and/or go on the banana boat is also a possibility. A view of the coast from seaward is also a very exciting prospect!

The number of boats offering dolphin and whale spotting trips has increased over the years and I can tell you, the decision is very, very difficult. In the end we chose the Fancy II because it has underwater viewing and maybe also because it's been around the longest!

However, the Flipper Whale Watching boat has underwater cameras with the viewing sent directly to screens so everybody can get a view of what's going on below. And the Fantasy has the most amazing inverted glass dome so that everybody can see what's going on underwater all the time. But all the boats have their own special features so it's entirely up to you to choose the boat that offers what is important to you! Have fun deciding on that! 🤔🤔

Flipper Whale and Dolphin watching

So that's it, we were onboard and off and I'll let the photos with captions do the talking.

Leaving Tazacorte behind, Pico Bejanado in the distance

Skipper is on the look out for dolphins and whales

Here they are - he's found them for us!

Atlantic Spotted dolphins seem even more beautiful from below deck

From the twin hulls of the catamaran, there's plenty of other fish to be seen

So I can highly recommend this trip! The crew were absolutely brilliant, bringing free cake and sandwiches, (beer and coffee is available for sale) chatting with us and making sure everyone was OK and enjoying it.

If we hadn't seen any dolphins, it would have been a shame of course but even so, we would have really enjoyed it. After the dolphins we headed back towards Tazacorte Port closer to the cliffs so we could see the shanty villages.

And then took a detour right inside the Cueva Bonita with its azure water.

Would we do it again? You betcha! Naturally on a different boat and if we're not careful, I can see that we'll be making up for lost time!

More about the boats:

The Inia RIB (rigid hull inflatable boat) - if you want to have some fun with a bit of close to the water speed - go for it!

The Bussard built in 1970's was originally a shrimp boat. With a maximum of 12 passengers, it's a more sedate experience on the Atlantic Ocean around Tazacorte.