Loggerhead Turtle in Canary Islands 2025

The loggerhead sea turtle is one of the largest hard-shelled turtles in the world. Its average weight varies from 80 to 200 kg and length is around 70-95 cm. The largest turtle of this kind was 545 kg and the maximum length ever encountered was 213 cm. Their skin varies from yellow to brown, and the shell is reddish-brown. Loggerhead turtles are mainly active during the day. They swim, look for food and rest on the seabed with their eyes half shut. These creatures have good eyesight and hearing and tend to avoid contact, always ready to attack or swim away.

Snorkeling with turtles can be one of the best memories from your Canary Islands vacation. Turtle sightings are almost guaranteed at Turtle Bay near fishing village El Puertito (Costa Adeje), Tenerife Island. It might be a bit complicated to get there, but you will be rewarded with pristine water and flourishing marine life.

Juveniles and some adults can be found here all the year round, but the greatest abundance is in the summer. Loggerheads are considered an endangered species and are protected by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Turtles spend most of their lives in the open ocean and in shallow coastal waters. Females come ashore to lay around four egg clutches. It is believed that females come ashore to lay eggs on the beaches where they were born. In 2006, the government of Cape Verde, the Fuerteventura Council, and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria started a project "Proyecto Pelagos" to reintroduce the loggerhead turtle again in the Canary Islands. Nowadays loggerhead sea turtles have included the Canary Islands in its migratory route.