The Sea Shephard that set out from Hobart, Australia a few days ago, is the largest fleet to set out against the Arctic Whalers. They will operate a No Compromise policy when it comes to the Whalers setting out from Japan. It is the largest, and strongest fleet to take part in this operation to date. Including 3 vessels, Bob Barker, Steve Irwin, and the newly acquired trimaran Gojira, this is Japanese for Gorilla. They also have alongside them a helicopter that will keep up to speed on the Japanese whalers. 
 
On the contrary, the Japanese fleet that has set out for the whaling, normally departs on the 19th November, and they have put back their mission to the 2nd December. This has shortened their trip, and their potential to catch whales. They have also decreased their fleet, taking out less harpoon boats, and having converted one of their harpoon boats to a sighting boat.
 
The Japanese Greenpeace have declared that the shortened trip, and the smaller fleet will only allow them to catch up to half of their allowed quota.
 
"This year, the Japanese whaling program will not have enough catchers to kill its usual number of whales and will not have enough onboard freezer space to store the resulting meat," said Greenpeace Japan oceans campaigner Wakao Hanaoka.
 
This is all good news for the whale population of the Pacific Ocean, and the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary. Another piece of good news on this front is that the Japanese are not consuming as much whale meat as they have done in previous years. So much so that last year’s kill has still not been wholly consumed and they are having to discard some of the meat.
 
The fact that the meat has gone to waste is sad for the whales that were killed pointlessly, but what has arisen from this is that the whalers will not have such high demands from the suppliers of the meat, and in turn will have to cut back on their hunting due to lack of demand.For all of us that are lovers of the whale, and the continuing of the almighty being in our oceans, the news has been gratefully received. These views towards whale meat, and its consumption has come about from the negative attitudes towards whaling worldwide, and the Greenpeace companies worldwide that continue to do fantastic work to regenerate our whale populations in the oceans.Long may it continue!
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In the nineties, a new tourist attraction was exploited in the Canary Islands. Since then, whale and dolphin watching has become an economic activity that is aimed at good practices. The whales and dolphins habits that seems new and exiting for most people is, however, something that these cetaceans have been doing for thousand of years.
 
Before these islands where inhabited by humans, these animals were already living in the area, especially in the warmer waters of the southern region. For centuries, while the aborigine population was evolving, these cetaceans were swimming in the waters as they do now, as well as during the bloody and cruel conquering period when Spaniards were expanding their empire, or when Nelson imposed English language to the locals, and also when the tourist “boom” started in the sixties. However, the presence of these animals seems to be something new both for locals and visitors.
 
The tourist exploitation of the local marine life started at the beginning of 1990, especially near the coast of Tenerife, where whales can be seen about three miles form the coast, and in other islands where dolphins can be seen near the coast. This activity provided fishermen a new way to earn their living, after fish exploitation diminished.
 
Two decades later, some fishermen still live from whale and dolphin watching marveling tourists when one of these animals swim next to the boat or make some acrobatic jumps. The same happens with whales (pilot whales mostly), who show their majesty and delicate movements.
 
It is ironic that those animals that some decades ago represented a threaten and a nuisance for the fishermen because they used to compete for the fish and took it away from the fishermen nets, are now the same that provide the main source of incomes for these people, maybe for generations of them, because some of these specimens live up to 45 years. This new relationship brought peace between them with no need for bloody battles with harpoons, guns or other weapons.
 
Nowadays, these cetaceans provide employment opportunities for numerous workers of about thirty companies which are dedicated to this activity. Some employees have been visiting the same animals for so many years now that they can identify them form a long distance.
 
From the total, our company (Eden Catamaran) was one of the nine boat trip operators operating in Tenerife south, that signed an agreement with the local Council to improve their services, committing to the sustainability of the activity, the conservation of marine life, the promotion of environmental awareness within visitors, and to improve boats’ wastes disposal, the use of recycling materials, cleaning in general, and to conduct research activities on board. Other companies participating are: Nostramo, Mar de Ons Tenerife, José Antonio Hernández Martín, Whaleadventure, Teserca Yacht, Pedro Carmelo Martín Jiménez, Marítima Ludomar and Jaime Ricardo Vergara Delgado.
 
The document also includes the creation of a trained guide position whose job will be to provide information to the passengers about these animals in those boats which transport more than 25 passengers per trip. In smaller boats, the skipper will have that job. Besides, the information shall be provided at least in two languages (Spanish and English) and a talk about environmental awareness shall be given before each trip. The document also establishes that the staff of each company shall receive continuous training in the aspects mentioned above, and that customer satisfaction surveys shall be conducted regularly.
 
Routes and duration. 
  
Because the main characters are the whales and dolphins, the offer of the companies is focused in the most important aspect: to make tourists actually watch them. However, there have been some changes about the duration of the trip (2 to 4 hours average if the weather conditions are good), and the size and characteristics of the boats including their appearance (if they look like a sail boat or a pirates’ boat, although they might be power-driven), the number of seats, the size of the deck, and the watching conditions (the existence or not of a glass bottom).
 
Usually, the companies that operate in Tenerife south leave from Los Cristianos, Playa de las Américas and Los Gigantes ports. The cetaceans also swim and live in the northern area of the island, but the temperature and weather conditions in the south make easier to find these animals.
Most tourists are European young people, although ages vary from children to old people. Children under 4 years old have discounts in their tickets or they travel for free. Ninety percent of the passengers hear about this activity after they arrive to the island although there are some travel agencies that include whale watching in their packages.The longest routes are also the more complete ones, leaving whale watching as grand finale for their trips. Boats that leave from Los Cristianos and Playa de las Américas travel near the southern coastline of the island visiting beautiful natural areas such as the Masca beach, and then they go to the whale watching areas near the fish farms. Dolphins can be seen easily by the tourists who quickly learn where to look at, although the guides help them too. These animals have between 1.9 and 3.9 meters long and according to the companies there is a population of 30 specimens approximately in the south. Due to their social nature, dolphins allow tourists to watch them and enjoy their movements like in the aquariums, but here they have the advantage of being in their natural environment which provides them a longer life expectancy (from 30to 35 years).The number of pilot whales is even larger. According to the companies, there are about three hundred specimens and females specially live 45 years approximately. To watch them, boats have to travel about three miles from the coast and situate between Santiago del Teide and Guía de Isora. A variety of dolphins live there too, but the big black-backed whales catch the attention of the tourists. As dolphins, some of them swim quietly and majesty with their baby whales. They do not show their heads as much as dolphins do, but they provide fantastic shootings when they expel water in the surface. In spite of these are not the largest whales, they offer a magnificent show to the tourists who leave marveled and exited about the experience. Some boats also have glass bottoms which offer a privileged view of these animals.
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Earlier this week, Eden Catamaran joined a quality service agreement for the whale watching industry in Tenerife.
 
The councillor of Tourism in Tenerife, José Manuel Bermúdez, and representatives of nine companies that provide whales watching tours in the south of the island have signed an agreement in the municipality of Arona to boost the quality service these companies offer to the tourists.

José  Manuel Bermúdez said in a press release that this letter of quality, in which drafting the administration worked for more than three months in collaboration with the companies of this sector is “a remarkable step forward in the commitment to establish a balance between the tourist activities and the protection of the marine life of the island to maintain the sustainability of our environment”.  

The nine companies that adhered to this agreement are: Tenerife Dolphin, Mar de Ons, Bonadea II Charter Sailing, Eden Catamarán, Whaleadventure, Teserca Uacht, Marítima Acantilados, Neptuno Sea Company and Travelin Lady. They committed to follow 14 established guidelines related to environment, operation and communication to offer an added value to their tourist services and promote environmental awareness through whales watching.

Among the most important environmental measures is the selective management of the boats’ wastes, to foster the use of recycled materials and the permanent collaboration between the companies to maintain the waters clean and to perform onboard researching tasks.  

To obtain a quality tourist experience, the companies have to accept the idea of having a trained tourist guide onboard who helps tourists and explain what they are seeing. This way, an experienced guide in whales watching will be working with groups of tourists above 25 people, while for smaller groups the skipper may act as tourist guide, as far as he or she has experience in this activity.   

With regards to the relationship with customers, the tourist companies shall provide information at least in two languages (Spanish and English) and, before each trip, an introductory talk shall be given about the activity to promote social awareness about the natural resources that make this tourist product possible.  

Other aspects to be taken into account are related to the necessity of a continuous training of the staff, and the conduction of daily satisfaction surveys among the customers.   

The signature of this quality agreement that counted with the presence of the Councilors of Tourism from Arona and Santiago del Teide, José David Herrera and Germán Jiménez respectively, is part of the “Plan de Dinamización del Producto Turístico Tenerife Acoge” (Tenerife Welcome – Tourist Product Boosting Plan) which provides economic support to the tourist business community to create new tourist products and to dynamize the existing ones. The agreement was signed in 2007 having a budget of 3.6 million euros for a three-year period. Three public entities are involved in this project: the Council of Tenerife, the Tourist Department of the Canarias Government and the Spanish Tourist Ministry.
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The waters of Santiago del Teide, a municipality located in Tenerife south, will host from next 3rd to 10th of July, a competition of underwater digital photography at the “Los Gigantes” cliff. The week before this event at the same location, it will take place the Federated Canarias Competition of Underwater Photography.   
 
The event, called “Fotosub Tenerife”, was presented at the hall of the Council of Tenerife, and it was organized by the Balfin Association and the “Acantilado de los Gigantes” Diving Center, in collaboration with the insular council, the Government of Canarias and the City Council of Santiago del Teide.  
 
The presentation of this event counted with the presence of the councillor of Sports, Dámaso Arteaga, the councilmen in charge of the Tourism and Sports Department of Santiago del Teide, Germán Jiménez and Emilio Navarro respectively, and the president of the Balfin Association, Gustavo Pérez.
 
Gustavo Pérez explained the details of this upcoming event and also the event that will take place the week before in the same location: the Federated Canarias Tournament of underwater photography, organized by the Federation of Underwater Activities of Canarias. This event that will take place from 1st to 3rd of July will serve as a prelude for the “Fotosub Tenerife” which is expected to count with the presence of two French photographers, four photographers from Tenerife and the best photographers from the rest of the Canarias Islands. 
 
The municipality has organized this 5th contest of photography in the “Los Gigantes Cliff” with the goal of combining underwater photography with tourism. The sea waters of Santiago del Teide offer a privileged setting for this sport, being the best place for professionals of underwater photography to compete as well as for beginners to share their experiences. 
 
The “Fotosub Tenerife 2010” allows each participant to take photographs during the week of competition without time restrictions in the points of immersion established in the competition’s rules. However, the “Acantilado de los Gigantes” diving club will be organizing guided tours for those participants who prefer it.  
 
The competitors will have 5 chances to seal their cameras in the head office of the organization during the days of competition. The organization has established a maximum of 30 participants for this edition divided in two categories, and each photographer will be able to make a maximum of five memory card downloads, with a limit of 120 photographs (files) per download. It is not allowed to delete photos and they have to be numbered in sequence in spite of the memory capacity. 
 
The winner of the “A” category will receive 2,500 euros in prize money and a thopy, while the second and third places will receive 1,500 and 1,000 euros in prize money respectively as well as a thropy. The winner of the “B” category will receive a Barbolight torch. 
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This is a very touching presentation made by Brian Skerry, photographer from National Geographics. His job is to shoot life above and below the waves, or as he says, both the horror and the magic of the ocean. 
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According to Barry Loyd, Canadian arts administrator, the northern area of Tenerife has an enormous potential to be the base of cultural tourism. He said that this cultural tourism development should be carried out focusing on the museums the island has.  
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A research conducted by the “Facultad de Ciencias del Mar de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – ULPGC” (Marine Science College from Las Palmas – Gran Canaria) reveals that the cages used for aquaculture are incompatible with tourism, to be more precise, “they clash with the human usage of the beaches”, stated the professor of submarine Ecology and Environment Angel Luque. 
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Last week we worked together with volunteers from the Atlantic Whale Foundation to record whales underwater, during one of Eden's whale watching tours.
 
We had a very good time doing this underwater filming, especially because it was all improvised. We had the idea one day, and next day we were filming underwater with a regulara camera, a case and other tools created by ourselves.
 
The video is below. It's not cinema quality but we'll get there ;-)
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The International Whaling Commission released yesterday the draft of a proposal to regulate whales’ hunting in the next 10 years.
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‘Turismo de Tenerife’ - island's official tourism Agency - will set off a promotion campaign in Russia from May to August together with Natalie Tours, one of the most important travel agencies in that country.   The initiative is planning the advertising of the island’s tourist offer in some of the most important Russian media and internet portals. Besides, the insular leisure offer will be displayed on billboards located in Moscow’s downtown.  
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