Swimming with dolphins in Tenerife, a prohibited activity

Dolphin Watching

Swimming with dolphins in Tenerife, a prohibited activity

03 May 2023

Reviewed by Félix

Banned at sea; Spain leads dolphin captivity in Europe

Around 93 dolphins live in captivity in Spain, close to a third of the 308 still held in Europe’s 34 dolphinariums, and most experts consider that current laws are not enough to end this practice. In Tenerife the alternative is to watch them in the wild: the law forbids swimming with them, but not enjoying them from an authorised boat.

Swimming with dolphins in Tenerife, a prohibited activity

The fascination of human beings with dolphins leads many of us to ask ourselves if it is possible to swim with dolphins in Tenerife.

Well, the answer to this question is no, it is currently forbidden to swim or bathe with dolphins off the coast of Tenerife.

Dolphins by the Los Gigantes cliffs

Current population of captive dolphins

In our country we have the privilege of having a large number of dolphins on our coasts, this gives us the opportunity to observe them in their natural environment in a responsible way, but unfortunately we also have captive dolphins. Located in parks and zoos throughout the national territory.

In Spain there are about 93 dolphins in captivity, close to a third of the 308 still held in the 34 dolphinariums spread across 14 European countries: Spain tops that list in Europe.

There are laws that prohibit this activity, but most industry experts agree that current laws are not enough to end this practice.

In these places you can see the dolphins doing circus shows, and if you wish you can also swim with dolphins. But we ask ourselves, is it really worth it, after knowing that those dolphins could be living in freedom?

Places to see dolphins in the wild in Spain

Places to see dolphins in the wild in Spain

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We were the first company in the sector to obtain the ISO 9001:2015 certificate for whale watching and crewed services for maritime excursions (AENOR, 2018).

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