In Search Of: Fins and tails off Tarifa

It is known as the wind capital of Europe – and Tarifa, the most southerly point of Spain, makes the most of it. As well as a booming surfing scene, enormous wind turbines march along the cliffs, standing sentry like giant sculptures. But we weren't here for the breeze. The unique geography of the Strait of Gibraltar, where two oceans and two continents meet, also makes the water around Tarifa very special. My children and I were here to see whales.

Seven species of cetacean live in or visit the area, attracted by plankton-rich waters which arise at the point where cold Atlantic water meets the warmer, shallower Mediterranean. Little was known about the whales' presence until 10 years ago, when a Swiss fashion designer called Katharina Heyer came here on a diving holiday and was moved by underwater sightings of pilot whales. "Before we started, it wasn't even known that there were seven species here," she recalls. Her interest led to her creating the Foundation for Information and Research on Marine Mammals, or firmm.

We took firmm's small boat from Tarifa's harbour, with the Rif mountains of Africa grey in the distance. Firmm chaperones about 20 people at a time, weather permitting, while an onboard marine biologist plots sightings of whales and dolphins.

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The wind was building up a strong swell and we were concentrating on holding on to our breakfasts when the first shout went up. Everyone rushed over to the side where something had been seen; the boat seemed to tip slightly as we all peered at the horizon. Soon we could make out the dorsal fin of a pilot whale, so called because one swims ahead of the others in a group of up to 20 to lead the way. Soon, the sea around the little boat was alive with the shadowy magical shapes of dolphins. We had drifted into a pod of about 40, or perhaps they had come to find us. They jumped out of the water in unison, did show-off dives and bobbed along with their heads up in greeting.

My children, aged 10 and 13, were in ecstasy, running from one side of the boat to the other. We saw common dolphins and striped dolphins; the temptation was to clap and cheer their gymnastics, but you are not meant to do this, as it encourages them to swim near larger, more dangerous boats.

We only saw one other whale, another pilot in the distance, but the dolphins more than made up for it.

Nadine, a student from Germany, gave us a talk back at the harbour. She rattled through the seven local species: pilot whales and three types of dolphin live in the Strait all year round, while orcas and sperm whales are summer visitors and enormous fin whales are seen more rarely. Many of the whales have been given names, as they can be identified by injuries sustained from collisions with the cargo ships that cross the Strait every day or, in the case of the sperm wh ale, the scars of epic undersea battles with giant squid.

Other fascinating whale facts from Nadine included the fin whale's ability to blow up to five metres, and the orca's capacity to swim backwards. Apparently, if the orcas are feeling lazy, they leave the hunting to the local fishermen. The hooked tuna is given time to exhaust itself by thrashing around, before the orca eats all but the head, using its famous sonar to avoid the hook.

In the winter, representatives from firmm visit local schools and try to pass on their love of marine mammals to the next generation. They also run one- or two-week courses from March to October, where you go out in the boat every day to help log sightings. For us, though, the lesson was over, and we ambled through the narrow cobbled streets of the old town, trying to get our land legs back.

Tarifa is more about atmosphere than sights. There is a fort (currently closed) and the little lanes are dotted with jewellery and clothes boutiques. We relaxed over tapas at the Café Central, as off-duty surfers and middle-aged strollers ambled past. Dolphins aside, there's nothing like gawping at that most peculiar species of all: homo sapiens.

Further information: www.tarifa.net; www.firmm.org; www.dolphinresort.org (the Moroccan project). A whale-watching trip of about two hours costs €30 (£25) for adults, €20 (£17) for six to 14-year olds, and €10 (£8.50) for under sixes.