Dolphin watching in Fuerteventura – boat tour review
Around 30 of the world’s dolphin and whale species have been spotted around the Canary Islands, so if you’re hoping to do some whale and dolphin watching in Fuerteventura, it’s the perfect place to get out on the water.
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And while you’ll have to be lucky to spy a blue whale, you can see many species of dolphin year-round so it doesn’t matter when you’re visiting – although dolphin watching in Fuerteventura in winter does come with a bigger risk of high winds cancelling your trip.
Booking our dolphin-spotting boat tour with Barracuda Perdomo, we were recommended to take seasickness tablets, so I came armed with Sea-Bands for my daughter, ginger tablets for both of us and even some Kwells in case the weather was bad – but with calm autumn seas, we really didn’t need them.
You’ll find boat tours leaving from both ends of the island – as we were staying near Corralejo, we went for this great four-hour dolphin-spotting tour, which also stops at Isla de Lobos for some snorkelling.
Despite Google Maps going slightly haywire as we tried to find parking in Corralejo, we made the boat just in time, and settled back to listen to our friendly crew tells us more about some of the marine life we might see.
Amusingly, we discovered that seeing common dolphins isn’t actually that common, but there’s a chance of spotting bottlenose dolphins, spotted dolphins and pilot whales (despite their name, actually a big dolphin).
For some other species, you need to head further out to sea, but we were happy with a few hours cruising around in the sunshine in the waters between Fuerteventura and Lanzarote.
While most of the passengers relaxed on the big padded lounger at the front of the boat, we decided to stick to the back (more stable and less chance of any queasiness for my daughter), and ended up with the space to ourselves to sit back and enjoy the views.
From Corralejo, we cruised out past the dunes of the nature reserve and Isla de Lobos, which has also been a nature reserve since 1982. The name translates as ‘Wolves Island’ but rather than the furry kind, it comes from the monk seals that once lived here, known as sea wolves.
Check out my video of our dolphin watching boat tour in Fuerteventura
Before long, we could see the south coast of Lanzarote, including more dunes at Playa de Papagayo, and Playa Blanca, where we’ve stayed on several previous holidays. I kept scanning the water for fins, getting over-excited at ripples on waves and glints of light on the water.
Until suddenly one of the crew members announced we’d spotted dolphins – a pod of spotted dolphins, in fact.
And best of all, they were ready to play, swimming around the boat, leaping gracefully through the water and shooting past at incredible speeds. Watching them is simply magical, no matter how old you are, it’s wonderful to see them in their natural habitat.
There’s a limit to how long you can spend near the dolphins, which is reassuring (and, needless to say, no swimming with them) although I’m sure that otherwise we could have spent all day marvelling at these fabulous creatures.
Check out my video of our dolphin watching boat tour in Fuerteventura
There’s never any guarantee of whether the dolphins will appear, of course, and our luck was definitely in at getting to see so much of them.
Then our final stop at Isla de Lobos meant that we could get up close to some more of Fuerteventura’s marine life, mooring in a little bay for some snorkelling. The turquoise water is ridiculously clear, so you can see shoals of fish without even getting in the water – but I wasn’t passing up the chance for a dip.
In mid-October, the water wasn’t warm but definitely not too cold to swim, and even a short snorkel let me see around 10 different types of fish, from tiny black ones with forked tails to shimmering silver Saddled Seabream, with their black spots, plus the occasional flash of blue and gold as something more unusual swam past.
As part of the tour, there are free drinks, including soft drinks if – like me – you’re driving, plus baguettes for each passenger. Usually made with ham and cheese, you can ask for vegetarian options or if your kids don’t fancy that either, they were happy to provide plain baguette too; just make sure you request in advance.
And somehow, suddenly, four hours was over and we were back in Corralejo, still smiling at the memory of the dolphins.
For more of the best things to do in Fuerteventura with kids, check out my top picks
More dolphin spotting boat tours in Fuerteventura
We had a great time on our dolphin-spotting tour, which was also ideal with a teenager who didn’t want to spend all day on a boat – long enough to track down a pod and watch them, but still left us some time free in our day.
If you do want a longer option, there’s a similar five-hour catamaran cruise leaving from Corralejo which combines the chance to see dolphins with a trip to Isla de Lobos and a paella lunch.
Or if you’re in the south of the island, this 90-minute dolphin spotting trip is suitable for age three and above, while there’s also a two-hour dolphin spotting tour for all ages with drinks. For a longer alternative, this dolphin-spotting cruise also includes time to snorkel and a spot of tapas as well.
Can you go dolphin watching in Fuerteventura with kids?
Absolutely! There are a whole mix of family-friendly dolphin-spotting boat tours, so there’s plenty of choice.
There’s never a guarantee that you’ll spot dolphins (or whales) and there can be quite a lot of cruising around before you happen upon a pod, so it’s worth bearing in mind if you’ve got younger kids who get easily bored. Having said that, I took my daughter on plenty of similar boat trips when she was younger and just made sure I packed plenty of things to keep her entertained.
Longer boat trips do give you more chance of spotting dolphins in Fuerteventura too, as you may need to travel a way out from the coast, but if your kids don’t fancy that, you’ll find shorter tours of 90 minutes.
It’s worth being prepared for the weather as well; our little boat had no shade outdoors, although on a slightly cloudy day in mid-October, that was fine. It’s famously windy in Fuerteventura too, so you may also want a jacket or hoody against the sea breeze, plus it’s worth taking remedies to prevent seasickness if your kids are prone to it.
You can also get Kwells Kids for younger kids, as well as adult versions for teens, if you need something stronger than the natural remedies I mention above.
But with a bit of planning, there’s no reason you can’t go dolphin watching in Fuerteventura with kids of almost any age, especially older primary school age kids and above. And even the coolest teen will be wowed by the chance to see dolphins – it is genuinely magical.
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