Twelve days on the open sea, seeing the ocean as a scientist sees it.
A scientific census of whales and dolphins aboard the Gara Itsasoa, a unique floating laboratory in Spain.
Most people see the sea from the shore. You’ll read it from within.
There’s a huge difference between looking at the ocean and understanding it. A tourist charter brings you close to cetaceans for a couple of hours. A scientific expedition teaches you to listen to them, to measure the water they live in, and to understand why they’re there.
For twelve days, you’ll sail around six Canary Islands—four of them marine protected areas—not as a spectator, but as part of the team collecting the data.
This isn’t a cruise where you sit back and watch. Here, you can be as involved in life on board as you like, or simply let yourself go and enjoy the ocean. The choice is yours each day.
No experience is needed: all it takes is the right attitude, a spirit of teamwork and a desire to learn. On board, you take part in the life of the boat as much as you feel like — or simply let go and enjoy the ocean. You choose, every day.
You can:
Predetermined transects with a towed hydrophone to determine the distribution and frequency of cetaceans, seabirds and turtles.
Acoustic monitoring of group movements in each study area.
Special attention to sperm whales, beaked whales, pilot whales and dolphins.
Individual identification of target species to obtain demographic and behavioural data.
Welcome aboard in Arrecife (Lanzarote) from 5 pm
Introduction to the team, the expedition and the scientific protocols.
Chapter I · The volcanic origin
Lanzarote · Chinijo Archipelago · La Graciosa
On the second day we begin sailing through one of the oldest and most protected marine landscapes
in the Canary Islands: cliffs, volcanic islands, seabeds of high ecological value and Europe’s largest
marine reserve. First cetacean observations.
Chapter II · The deep corridor
Eastern Lanzarote · Fuerteventura
We enter an exceptional area for deep-diving cetaceans: beaked whales, pygmy sperm whales, seamounts and waters of high biological productivity.
Chapter III · The city and the ocean
Gran Canaria · La Isleta
Dawn off Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and sailing through the La Isleta marine area, where maritime traffic, marine life and resident Risso’s dolphins coexist
Chapter IV · Humboldt’s gaze
Northern Tenerife · Anaga · Teide · Los Gigantes
Sailing around Tenerife: from the green landscapes of the north that inspired Humboldt to the
volcanic cliffs of Los Gigantes.
Chapter V · The realm of the pilot whales
Teno–Rasca · Los Gigantes
Two days in one of the most important areas in the world for observing short-finned pilot whales and
bottlenose dolphins.
Chapter VI · Wild La Gomera
Santiago · Valle Gran Rey
Sailing towards a rugged, green and deeply oceanic island, with waters of great interest for cetacean observation.
Chapter VII · The return
Passage back to Lanzarote
Final observations, close of the expedition and return to port.
*The itinerary may be adapted depending on weather, oceanographic or scientific conditions.
