Rare whales filmed off Lanzarote

Nature certainly dishes up a feast of wonders in and around the Canary Islands, particularly in the case of whales and dolphins. One third of all the species in the World either live in or pass through the Canary Islands, but even allowing for that fact, some sightings are enough to get the whole World talking.

Gervais’ beaked whales are very rare as they normally prefer the deep waters of the North Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico, but they are equally at home in the deep waters between our islands. Normally shy, they have just been filmed for the first time in their natural habitat, some 18 miles off Puerto Calero. The yacht Ibero came across 3 males whilst on a survey and protection voyage for the La Caixa banks social works programme.

Gervais’ beaked whales measure between 4.5 metres long for the male and 5.2 metres for the female and they can be recognised by their dark grey tops and light grey undersides. The small head sometimes has a white tip and the mouth contains two small front teeth.

We can’t promise you will see such rare sights when visiting Sands Beach Resort Hotel, but the beachfront setting in Costa Teguise has great views of the Atlantic and reception will be glad to show you a choice of boat excursions you may want to enjoy to see some of the more common whales and dolphins.