A numerical study of the wave energy distribution around Canary Islands is presented. For this study the WAVEWATCH III model is used to generate waves for the entire North Atlantic basin and the SWAN model is used to determine the transformation of the waves in the Canary Islands. The model results are validated with measured data from the Gran Canaria buoy, over a three-year period, and satellite data for the period of one year. The computed results show a good agreement with data from buoy and satellites. Wave energy resource climatology is evaluated and characterized in terms of probability of occurrence of sea states for the three year period. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.