Understanding the sea

Nautical and marine glossary

The sea has a language of its own. Here we explain, in simple words, the terms we use when talking about our excursions, our boats and the marine life of Tenerife.

A

AED: The acronym for automated external defibrillator, the portable device that analyses the heart's rhythm and, if it detects a shockable arrhythmia, delivers an electric shock to try to restore it. It talks the user through each step and will not shock when it should not. Read the full entry →
Anchoring: Stopping the boat at a spot and holding it with the anchor so it does not drift. When we anchor we switch off the engine and the sailing boat sits quietly on the water: it is the time for a swim, snorkelling and a bite to eat by the cliffs, without haste and without noise. Read the full entry →
AROC: The Spanish acronym for the Recreational Cetacean Watching Activity: the authorisation granted by Spain’s Ministry for the Ecological Transition to watch cetaceans in Spanish waters, under Royal Decree 1727/2007 on cetacean protection. Our sailboats, Aemón and Ayla, appear on the state list of authorised vessels. Read the full entry →

B

Bavaria 46 Cruiser: A cruising sailboat model built by the German shipyard Bavaria Yachts. Our two sailboats, Aemón and Ayla, are Bavaria 46 Cruisers: 14.40 metres long, with four double cabins, a sunbathing area and a shaded area, ready for ocean sailing and carrying a maximum of 9 passengers. Read the full entry →
Beam: The maximum width of a boat. Together with the length, it defines its size and stability: the wider the beam, the more space on board and the steadier the boat sits in the water. Our sailboats Aemón and Ayla have a beam of 4.40 metres. Read the full entry →
Blue Boat flag: The official emblem of the Canary Islands Government identifying vessels legally authorised to watch cetaceans, regulated by Decree 178/2000. It is a yellow flag with a blue boat, visible on board. Our sailboats Aemón and Ayla fly it: if a boat does not display it, it does not comply with the Canary Islands rules. Read the full entry →
Bottlenose dolphin: The best-known dolphin: large, sturdy and grey, with a short, broad snout. It is a regular resident of the Teno-Rasca Marine Strip and loves to play by the bow, riding the boat’s wave. Together with the tropical pilot whale, it is the species that appears most often on our outings. Read the full entry →
Bow: The front part of a boat, the one that cuts through the water as it moves. It is the dolphins’ favourite spot: they love to position themselves right ahead to play with the wave the hull raises. Watching them from the bow of our sailboat, almost within reach, is hard to forget. Read the full entry →
Bryde’s whale: A baleen whale which, unlike most rorquals, prefers warm and temperate waters all year round. Slender and discreet, it can appear in the waters off south-west Tenerife, especially at certain times of year. Coming across one is one of those gifts the sea never promises. Read the full entry →

C

Canary Current: A cool ocean current that flows down along the African coast and washes the Canary Islands. It cools the water, loads it with nutrients and helps explain why such a blue sea is so full of life, and why the archipelago enjoys mild temperatures all year round. Read the full entry →
Cetacean: A marine mammal belonging to the group formed by whales, dolphins and porpoises. Although they live in the water, they breathe air, give birth to live young and nurse them. They fall into two large families: those with teeth, like dolphins and sperm whales, and those with baleen plates to filter their food, like rorquals. Read the full entry →
Cory’s shearwater: An ash-grey seabird that spends almost its whole life flying over the ocean and breeds in the Canary Islands. At night its calls sound like wails: it is said that this song may have fed the legend of the mermaids. It is often seen gliding just above the water during our outings. Read the full entry →
CPR: The acronym for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the first-aid technique that combines chest compressions and rescue breaths to keep blood circulating and oxygen flowing in someone whose heart and breathing have stopped, until medical help arrives. Read the full entry →

D

Draught: The vertical distance between the waterline and the lowest part of the boat, usually the keel. It tells you the minimum depth of water the vessel needs to sail without touching the bottom, something the skipper always bears in mind when anchoring close to the coast. Read the full entry →

I

IGIC: The initials of the Impuesto General Indirecto Canario, the Canary Islands general indirect tax, which replaces mainland Spain’s VAT in the archipelago. It is charged on goods and services consumed in the islands, including tourist activities, generally at lower rates than VAT. Read the full entry →

K

Knot (speed): The unit of speed at sea: one knot is one nautical mile per hour, about 1.85 km/h. Spanish cetacean-protection rules require, for example, approaching the animals at under 4 knots, a walking pace that does not disturb them. Read the full entry →

L

Length overall: The length of a boat measured from bow to stern, that is, from the front tip to the back. It is the figure that best sums up a vessel’s size. Our sailboats Aemón and Ayla have a length overall of 14.40 metres. Read the full entry →
Loggerhead turtle: The sea turtle most often seen in Canary waters. With its reddish-brown shell and large head, it spends years travelling the open ocean. Seeing one surface calmly beside the sailboat is the sign of a living sea, and a reminder of why the water should be kept free of plastics. Read the full entry →

M

MITECO: The Spanish acronym for the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, the Spanish government department responsible for protecting the natural environment. It grants the AROC authorisation for cetacean watching and publishes the official list of authorised vessels. Read the full entry →

N

Natura 2000 network: The European network of protected natural areas, created to conserve the continent’s most valuable habitats and species. It includes land and marine sites designated by the countries of the European Union. The Teno-Rasca Marine Strip, where we sail, is part of this network. Read the full entry →
Nautical mile: The unit of distance used at sea: it equals 1,852 metres, a little more than a kilometre and a half. It derives from the measurement of the Earth’s meridians, and it gives rise to the knot, the unit we use to measure the speed of boats. Read the full entry →

P

Passage: A journey by sea between two points, with its heading and its duration. It is the part of the outing in which the sailing boat is under way: the time to feel the wind, look for cetaceans calmly and enjoy the landscape of the Los Gigantes cliffs. Read the full entry →
Photo-identification: A scientific technique that identifies each cetacean by the natural marks on its dorsal fin —notches, cuts and scars— photographed outing after outing. It allows individuals to be recognised and the pilot whale families resident in the Teno-Rasca Marine Strip to be followed without disturbing them. Read the full entry →
Plankton: The mass of mostly tiny organisms that live in the water, drifting with the currents. It is the base of the marine food chain: everything from small fish to great whales depends on it. Plant plankton also produces a large share of the oxygen we breathe. Read the full entry →
Pontoon: A floating or fixed walkway in a harbour to which boats are moored and from which you board. At the Los Gigantes marina it is where our sailing boats Aemón and Ayla wait for you, moored, on the day of your outing. Read the full entry →
Port side: The left-hand side of a boat when facing the bow, that is, facing forward. On board we say “port” and “starboard” instead of left and right because they do not change with where each person is looking: they are always the same sides of the boat. Read the full entry →

R

Responsible whale watching: A way of watching whales and dolphins without disturbing their lives: approaching slowly, keeping your distance, never chasing the animals or cutting across their path. For us the sea is not a stage: we let the cetaceans decide whether to come closer, and we never promise a show. Read the full entry →

S

SAC (Special Area of Conservation): A protection category within the Natura 2000 network that the European Union reserves for places with habitats or species of special value, requiring specific conservation measures. The Teno-Rasca Marine Strip is one of them, designated among other reasons for its cetaceans and its sea turtles. Read the full entry →
Sailboat: A boat designed to be driven by the wind through its sails. When we switch off the engine and sail, all you hear is the wind and the water on the hull: that silence lets the wildlife approach with confidence. That is why we chose sailboats, not motorboats, for our outings. Read the full entry →
Skipper: The qualified person in command of the boat, responsible for everyone’s safety on board. They decide the course, the speed and the manoeuvres according to the state of the sea. On every Picarus outing a professional skipper and a specialist guide sail with you. Read the full entry →
Snorkelling: Swimming on the surface while watching the seabed through a mask, breathing through a tube, with no need for tanks or previous experience. On our outings, when the sea allows, we anchor in crystal-clear water by the cliffs and lend you the gear to discover the Canary Islands’ volcanic seabeds. Read the full entry →
Sperm whale: The largest of the toothed cetaceans. It is an extraordinary diver: it can plunge to great depths for long periods in search of squid. It crosses the deep waters around the Canary Islands, and seeing one from our sailboats is a rare gift that nature alone decides. Read the full entry →
Starboard: The right-hand side of a boat when facing the bow. Like “port”, it is a fixed reference that does not depend on where each person is looking. When the guide calls “pilot whales to starboard”, everyone knows at once which side of the sailboat to look at. Read the full entry →
Stern: The rear part of a boat, opposite the bow. The sailboat is steered from the stern, and behind it trails the wake: the track of water the boat leaves as it moves. Watching that wake with the cliffs in the background is one of the classic images of the return to port. Read the full entry →

T

Teno-Rasca Marine Strip: A protected marine area stretching along the south-west of Tenerife, between Punta de Teno and Punta de Rasca. It is a Special Area of Conservation within the Natura 2000 network and one of the most important marine areas in Europe, home to resident cetaceans such as the tropical pilot whale and the bottlenose dolphin. It is the sea we sail every day. Read the full entry →
Trade winds: Steady north-easterly winds that blow over the Canary Islands for much of the year. They soften the islands’ climate and push the clouds towards the northern slopes. The Los Gigantes coast, facing south-west, is sheltered from them: that is why its waters are usually calm and ideal for sailing. Read the full entry →
Tropical pilot whale: A cetacean of the dolphin family, with a sturdy dark body, that lives in close-knit family groups. A stable population resides in the Teno-Rasca Marine Strip, and it is the species we watch most often from our sailboats. Each dorsal fin bears its own marks, which allow every individual to be identified. Read the full entry →

W

Whale Heritage Area: The certification that the World Cetacean Alliance, together with World Animal Protection, grants to destinations where whale watching is practised responsibly. The Tenerife-La Gomera strip obtained it in January 2021, becoming the first certified destination in Europe: the very sea we sail. Read the full entry →
Windward and leeward: Windward is the side from which the wind comes; leeward is the sheltered side towards which it blows. The Los Gigantes coast lies leeward of the trade winds: the island slows the wind and leaves a calm sea, ideal for sailing and watching cetaceans. Read the full entry →
World Cetacean Alliance (WCA): The world’s largest alliance dedicated to protecting whales, dolphins and porpoises: an international network of conservation organisations, research centres and responsible tourism operators. Picarus appears in its international responsible whale-watching directory, which anyone can look up. Read the full entry →

Certifications

A guarantee of trust

Quality milestone · 2018

ISO 9001:2015

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).

Learn more →