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T A R I F A
theMoroccan side, leaving on the
Spanish side). Once you have
crossed the northern sea lane
into the central channel, keep
your eyes on the waves. It’s likely
you will see the rise and fall of a
large fin, a pilot or spermwhale,
whichmay even come up to the
boat to investigate.
Whales and dolphins have the
intelligence to avoid the slow-
moving container ships and
boats of local fishermen; the
biggest danger to them are the
fast sport-fishing boats, which
birdwatchers – birds of prey and
storks are especially common in
the migrating seasons. But the
most fascinating wildlife is in
the sea. The Strait may be one of
the world’s busiest shipping
lanes, but despite all its traffic,
the meeting point of the Atlantic
andMediterranean hosts a
spectacular concentration of
whales and dolphins.
As the only opening into the
Mediterranean, the Strait
contains powerful, changing
currents. The water in the
shallower Mediterranean
evaporates more rapidly than
that in the Atlantic, giving it a
higher salt content. The lighter
Atlantic water flows into the
inland sea on the surface,
replenishing it; heavier
Mediterranean water flows out
along the bottom. The
interaction of the two currents
in the narrow Strait (14.3km at
its smallest point) creates ideal
feeding conditions for
cetaceans. Three kinds of
dolphin (common, bottlenose
and striped) and pilot whales are
found all year, while in summer
they are joined by fin whales,
orcas (killer whales) and sperm
whales, which come in search of
their favourite food, giant squid.
Dolphin- andwhale-watching
trips operate fromTarifa
whenever weather allows from
lateMarch to the end of October.
FIRMM, which combines its
researchwork with tours, is the
best-equipped operator, with its
own boats. A full introduction is
given in different languages
before the two-hour trip, and if
you don’t see any whales or
dolphins (which rarely happens)
they offer a free trip on another
day. As soon as the boat moves
out into the deep blue sea, you
will notice that you’re on one of
the world’s busiest maritime
highways. Around 300 ships
pass through the Strait each day
(entering theMediterranean on
Orcas sind leicht durch ihre auffällige
schwarzweiße Musterung zu erkennen
The killer whale’s distinctive black
and white markings make it easy to spot
TRAVEL INFO
Fly German Wings to Jerez de la
Frontera, then rent a car to drive
down to Tarifa. Hotel ArteVida
(www.hotelartevidatarifa.com) is
the most stylish place to stay on the
beach, and there are many more
options in Tarifa town.
http://tarifa.costasur.com
Whale watching: www.firmm.org,
www.whalewatchtarifa.net
Wind- and kitesurfing:
www.tarifawindsurfing.com,
www.club-mistral.com,
www.tantrumkitesurf.com
often ignore speed restrictions.
The team at FIRMM are already
familiar with individual whales
and recently recorded an
incident where a spermwhale
used their boat to shield its two
calves while it went off to
distract other, faster boats. It
then came back and appeared to
thank them. A direct encounter
with these wondrous creatures,
and their extraordinary
adaptability to a complex
environment will leave you with
a sense of amazement.
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