Going on a dolphin safari in Gibraltar offers you the perfect activity for a beautiful summer’s day. The Bay and Straits of Gibraltar with their large population of dolphins and whales are unique in being situated in a major tourist area accessible to most Western Europeans. The Straits of Gibraltar are one of the great natural land bridges of the world and are famous for the biannual migration of bird life. What is not so generally realised is that there is a continual passage of cetaceans passing between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic here.
As a result of the Straits being only 13 miles wide at its narrowest point, the concentration of cetaceans is very high, especially so towards the middle. It is about 3 miles offshore that you find the larger examples, such as the Sperm Whales. For some reason most sightings show that they are heading in a westerly direction. The prevailing surface current is easterly and these animals may be just stemming the current flow, and not in fact travelling out of the Straits at that particular time.
The Bay of Gibraltar seems to be a favourite place for nursery schools of Common Dolphins, and it is a very common sight to see baby dolphins accompanied by their mothers who always stay very close to them, rising to the surface a few inches away from each other when coming up to breathe. There are many companies within Gibraltar that offer dolphin and whale tours around the Bay and Straits which are very modestly priced and easy to find! The unique conditions of the Straits and the beautiful whales and dolphins that inhabit it should be taken advantage of, so if you are visiting Gibraltar it would be a great shame not to take a trip to see these wonderful creatures.
