07 March 2008
Corsica is one of the top destinations for whale watching in the Mediterranean Sea, the summer months being the best times to explore the surrounding waters in the Liguria Sea near Cape Corsica in the north.
According to the research association ASAME, no less than five of the 11 known species frequently cross the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, some of them on a very frequent basis.
The association organises various research projects to discover those species which, although sometimes measure up to 25 metres, are rarely sighted and almost unknown to the world of science.
The most frequently sighted species is by far the fin whale which is the second largest whale in the world after the blue whale, measuring on average 22 metres and weighing 50 tons.
According to research carried on in 1990, around three to four thousand fin whales were sighted in the western Mediterranean Sea, although statistics remain difficult to establish.
Fin whales crisscross the waters around north Corsica in the summer, making the trip to the island extremely worthwhile.
Other species encountered include the humpback whale, sei whale, sperm whale and the very curious minke whale which is sighted by tourists regularly.
