Question Where to Swim with Whales

[kbbell]

All of the above recommendations are excellent for Humpback Whales. If Humpbacks check the box for you, then please read on. Just be forewarned that this reply is long.

Barring some unusual circumstance, Silver Banks, French Polynesia (includes Rurutu, Moorea and Tahiti) and Tonga are pretty close to a sure thing. I've done Silver Banks twice, Rurutu once, and Tahiti once. I swam with Humpbacks at all of them. I have never done Gorgona in Colombia,, Moorea in French Polynesia nor Tonga.

Of the ones that I have done, the one that I liked best was Rurutu.......by far. In most other places where you can swim with Humpbacks, you go out and motor in open water looking for blows. If it is rough out, it isn't the most pleasant way to spend 4-8 hours of your vacation time. Also, when it is rough out, the blows are much harder to find. And even after sighting a blow or blows, a water entry is not necessarily a sure thing: if the whale or whales are on the run, all you might get is a fleeting glimpse, at best.

So why Rurutu? When we did Rurutu in September 2022, we motored about 45 minutes by boat to a bay, and once at the bay, we always found a Mother and calf sleeping there. For five straights days. And the encounters typically lasted for hours.

BUT.....the cost: airfare alone will probably run you close to $2000 roundtrip per person from the US to Papeete on the island of Tahiti, unless you can find something cheaper. You may have to overnight in Papeete before flying to Rurutu the next morning. Add another $150 for hotel plus maybe $700 roundtrip per person for the dometic flight. In Rurutu, transfers, lodging, meals, and daily snorkeling was close to $2000 per person total for the five in-water days. We stayed at the Vaitumu Lodge. Perhaps staying at a pension might be less.

It doesn't get a lot better costwise if you do Silver Banks (liveaboard out of Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic). A one-week trip with 4 1/2 days of snorkeling runs around $4500 pp and up before tips and airfare.

Costwise, Tahiti and Moorea are a possibility - no domestic flight required. But you may find that land expenses are more.

Bottom line, all of the above are right up there in the $5000 per person range, which is at the limit of what you wish to spend. I encourage you to price these options on your own and see if you can do better.

If you can't find anything less expensive, one iffy suggestion (of two) that I have for you is the Sea of Cortes in Mexico in the May-June timeframe. Here, I have been in the water with Humpbacks and Blue Whales and have even seen Fin Whales and Sperm Whales from the boat. Fin Whales are nearly impossible to get into the water with - they're too skittish. Sperm Whales, it depends on the operator. Some allow it and some don't, altho the official Park rules prohibit it. BUT....these whale encounters are a lot less of a sure thing as Silver Banks and French Polynesia.

One other consideration about the Sea of Cortes is that May-June is mobula season. That, in of itself is quite a spectacle that can quickly become an experience of a lifetime if orcas show up to feed on the mobulas (I've tried three times, saw the schooling mobulas but not the orcas).

The other iffy suggestion is the Sperm Whales of Dominica in the Caribbean. I did this this past March for 6 days and swam with the whales everyday. Hereagain, the issue is cost: most operators offer packages that run from $5500 and up per person plus airfare. However, you might look into the Ft. Young Hotel in Roseau, Dominica, which earlier this year was offering an all-inclusive one-week package with whale swimming for under $3000 plus airfare for the Summer just past. The only caveat is that most of the other operators offer whale swimming packages only during the Winter months so it makes you wonder if it's any good during the Summer. I can't answer that but I do know that the whales are resident to the area so it stands to reason that they might be around.

Hi. Thanks so much for the contact information for the Rurutu providers. Has anyone had any luck confirming whale swims with them for September 2025? I’ve been emailing Tevai and got one email back. I tried Facebook for the other and will try the email and the aunt too! I was in Rurutu in 2023 and went out with Tevai who was lovely and the hotel operator who was unreliable. I would appreciate any insight on how to proceed. I’m concerned I’m pestering them with emails and maybe it’s not culturally appropriate. On the other hand, I don’t want to get to Rurutu and not have any whale swimming.

 

[Manuel Sam]

I would try the aunt.

Also, btscott (post #4) provided a phone number for Tevai.

We booked with them while there because the operator we had booked pulled a no-show. So I have no experience dealing with them by email or FB. On the other hand, I have never had any issues dealing with lodging and dive operators elsewhere in French Polynesia by email, so I am not aware that it might be culturally inappropriate to continue to email them until you are able to complete your booking. After all, as I see it, business is business.

I asume that you are wanting to go back because you had a good experience swimming with the whales there?

 

[kbbell]

I would try the aunt.

Also, btscott (post #4) provided a phone number for Tevai.

We booked with them while there because the operator we had booked pulled a no-show. So I have no experience dealing with them by email or FB. On the other hand, I have never had any issues dealing with lodging and dive operators elsewhere in French Polynesia by email, so I am not aware that it might be culturally inappropriate to continue to email them until you are able to complete your booking. After all, as I see it, business is business.

I asume that you are wanting to go back because you had a good experience swimming with the whales there?

Thanks so much for your reply! Good to know it’s not inappropriate to keep emailing. I’ll try the aunt. Good to know you’ve never had any trouble with emailing. I haven’t in the past either so it does make me wonder what’s going on.
I had an excellent experience with them in the past. Rurutu is much easier than Moorea. We spent eight hours a day for six days looking for whales last time I was in moorea and had limited encounters. The rules for 2025 for whale swims are significantly tighter than they have been in past years so maybe that’s affecting everyone.
Thanks again!

 

[Manuel Sam]

I had a senior moment and didn't process the fact that you said "Tevai" instead of Teiti Tavita. And then I even repeated Tevai myself in my reply.

It was in fact Tevai who pulled the no-show on us and Teiti who bailed us out. As I recall, they are related - cousins, maybe. I believe that Gisele, whom you, and then I, referred to as the "Aunt" may be Teiti's Mother, and therefore, possibly Tevai's aunt.

In any case, I highly recommend getting a hold of Teiti, and if necessary, his Mom Gisele (tavitagisele@gmail.com).

One other tip that you may already know. If you go out with them (Tareparepa) for a full day, that means a morning run followed by a lunch break and then the afternoon run. For the lunch break, they sometimes bring you back to the dock and then drive you back to the hotel for lunch. Or.....you can forego the ride back to the hotel and have lunch at their Snack, which is right there in the dock area. The lemon fried chicken was quite good. Prices are quite reasonable. And if you plan on doing that, it is best to pre-order in the morning before you go out because the place often gets crowded and the food can be slow to come out.

 

[TravisD]

Just to throw out another option, the Dwarf Minke whale trips that Mike Ball/Spirit of Freedom do out of Cairns are a well run operation. It's been since 2013 that I did that trip, but they had a whale resesarcher on the trip to brief everyone and answer questions. All of the encounters are by chance and unless a whale happens to turn up while on a dive site are done snorkeling. You can do a partial week voyage if the whole week isn't in the cards.

 

[kbbell]

I had a senior moment and didn't process the fact that you said "Tevai" instead of Teiti Tavita. And then I even repeated Tevai myself in my reply.

It was in fact Tevai who pulled the no-show on us and Teiti who bailed us out. As I recall, they are related - cousins, maybe. I believe that Gisele, whom you, and then I, referred to as the "Aunt" may be Teiti's Mother, and therefore, possibly Tevai's aunt.

In any case, I highly recommend getting a hold of Teiti, and if necessary, his Mom Gisele (tavitagisele@gmail.com).

One other tip that you may already know. If you go out with them (Tareparepa) for a full day, that means a morning run followed by a lunch break and then the afternoon run. For the lunch break, they sometimes bring you back to the dock and then drive you back to the hotel for lunch. Or.....you can forego the ride back to the hotel and have lunch at their Snack, which is right there in the dock area. The lemon fried chicken was quite good. Prices are quite reasonable. And if you plan on doing that, it is best to pre-order in the morning before you go out because the place often gets crowded and the food can be slow to come out.

Thanks so much! That is really helpful to know. I will definitely plan with the other one. I just heard back from the Airbnb that the new regulations may be part of the problem. Thanks also for the info re lunch. I stayed at the dock area last time and walked across to the restaurant. It was busy and the food was good. I didn’t know to order ahead. Again- thanks so much!

 

[kbbell]

Just to throw out another option, the Dwarf Minke whale trips that Mike Ball/Spirit of Freedom do out of Cairns are a well run operation. It's been since 2013 that I did that trip, but they had a whale resesarcher on the trip to brief everyone and answer questions. All of the encounters are by chance and unless a whale happens to turn up while on a dive site are done snorkeling. You can do a partial week voyage if the whole week isn't in the cards.

Thanks! I am diving with them in November! I’ve heard such great things about them. I’ll look into the Minke whales.