For the last 2 months I have been able to experience the wonderful lifestyle on the beautiful island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain. For my Latitudes semester, I chose to do my internship with Biosean, where they focus on whale watching and marine biology.
The day to day during my internship with Biosean
Casi todos los días, los pasantes estábamos en el bote ayudando a recopilar datos científicos y guiar los recorridos de observación de ballenas. La toma de datos se centró en estudiar los comportamientos y usos de los hábitats de los cetáceos de la zona, y el impacto humano por el tráfico de embarcaciones en el área marina protegida. En casi todas las salidas al mar veíamos animales. Los más comunes que vimos fue el calderón tropical (Globicephala macrorhynchus), también llamado calderón de aleta corta o ballena piloto. Es una especie residente en Canarias, con una población muy importante en el sur de Tenerife. También he visto delfines moteados del Atlántico (Stenella frontalis), que se acercan y nadan justo al lado del barco, saltan a tu lado e incluso a veces te salpican agua. También he visto muchos delfines mulares (Tursiops truncatus), conocidos también como delfín nariz de botella, que es la otra especie residente en el sur de Tenerife. Tuve la suerte de ver en numerosas ocasiones una especie migratoria y de gran tamaño, el rorcual tropical o ballena de Bryde (Balaenoptera edeni).
One day we decided to go out even though there was a lot of wind and the waves were huge, but we were very lucky because we found the tropical Bryde’s whales surfing in the swell. Our 8-metre semi-rigid boat (Zodiac) was surrounded by four 16-metre whales playing in the waves around us. During that trip, one of the whales swam right beneath our boat, and the water was clear enough for us to see it moving underneath. It was one of the most incredible days I had on this island.
A focus on marine conservation
The trips also focused on the conservation and outreach of the marine environment with tourists on board, where we always did our best to collect plastic and other waste we found during the trips. We also focused on respecting the distance between us and any animal (responsible whale watching). Surprisingly, when animals are not threatened, they are very curious about the boat and decide to approach it. During the trips we also used a hydrophone so we could listen to the animals’ echolocation and whistles. As an intern, we had responsibilities on board: helping guide tours with tourists, collecting scientific data, and also entering the data into Excel spreadsheets.
Other multicultural activities
These professional internships were also full of other incredible opportunities, not only whale watching. I also had the opportunity to dive several times, go hiking on Teide, the highest mountain in Spain, surf, go snorkelling, visit natural pools and explore different towns around the island.
During my stay in Tenerife, I shared a flat with three other girls. They were from Sweden, Italy and Germany. We spent many evenings learning about each other’s cultures. I also worked with other interns from Belgium, France and Argentina. It was an incredible experience being surrounded by people from all over the world. I learned a lot from everyone’s different cultures.
My internship with Biosean: a complete experience
This internship also gave me my first real experience of being completely independent. I quickly had to adapt to living alone, cooking for myself, grocery shopping and exploring new places on my own. It was the perfect situation to build confidence before starting university in the autumn. I fell completely in love with the island of Tenerife and hope to return one day.
If you want to experience the wonders of Tenerife, marine biology and the whale watching industry, do not hesitate to contact Biosean.
See you!!!