Best Places To See Whales
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WHALES TODAY: current situation and conflicts
Whaling brought most species to the brink of extinction before the International Whaling Commission started rules in 1946. By 1986 members imposed a moratorium on all commerical fishing. That hasn't stopped Japan, Norway and Iceland and from continuing to hunt commercially under the guise of scientific research. Other countries allow indigenous communities to hunt for sustenance.
Although whale meat prices have been plummeting, the governments of whaling nations spend millions on whaling welfare to prop up the industries and try to overturn the ban at , The pro-whaling World Council of Whalers maps the tens of thousands of whales taken each year.
Whales can become entangled in fish lines or crash into ships. Sonar and exlposions from gas and oil exploration have lead to mass strandings of many types of marine mammals.
Gray Whales, which are now extinct in the Atlantic, are still endangered in the Pacific, but 18,000 now migrate along the coast. Killer Whales of the Pacific northwest are dwindling. They are still captured off Russia.
VIEWING TIPS
You want to find a way to see the whales but disturb them the least. If you're lucky there may be a place to see them from shore (it's comfortable and free.)
What you would normally consider to be environmentally unfriendly--going out in a huge boat or helicopter--may actually be better for the whales. The bigger the boat, the fewer boats out there to bother whales.
Ask how often they see whales this time of year.
Whale boats tend to be small and manueverable. That means they may bounce around and make you seasick. Consider getting a motion sickness patch from your doctor, such as TransDerm Scop. Remember that it's colder and wetter out on the boat.
BEST PLACES TO SEE WHALES
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Northeast - See other animals in the Northeast |
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New England Massachusetts American whale-watching started in Provincetown. Stellewagen Bank, a shallow area whales visit April-October, is one of the best places to see whales in the world. Boats reach it from Cape Cod, Boston and much of New England. Humpbacks, finbacks and minkes can be seen (along with dolphins, porpoise and seal.) Provincetown Boats visit Jeffrey's Ledge or Stellwagen Bank, depending on where the whales are.
Yankee Fleet started with fishing boats in 1944. Has an annual all day whale-watching excursion for tje Center for Oceanic Research & Education. Offer a 3-day tour way out to Georges Bank and Gilberts Canyon. Cape Ann Whale Watch Seven Seas Whale Watching Captain Bill & Sons Whale Watch |
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Maine Bar Harbor has the most tours in Boats sail 20 miles out into the Gulf of Maine, where humpback, finback and Minke whales live (along with dolphins, seals and seasonal puffins). Wanderbird offers more adventurous, multi-day trips from Belfast Kennebunk First Chance Whale Watch Odyssey Whale Watch has a 5-hour summer cruises that goes all the way to Jeffery's Ledge and the Sagadahoc Grounds. Bath: Cap'n Fish In June and July they go see Puffins at Eastern Egg Rock. Lubec: If you don't see any from the gorgeous West Quoddy Lighthouse, a few boaters can take you out. Also try Capt. Riddle Sea Going Adventures |
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New Hampshire New Hampshire only has 16 miles of coastline, but touristy Rye, has 2 fleets that visit Jeffrey's Ledge and the Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary. Both tour companies are recommended by the Blue Ocean Society. |
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New York The Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island |
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Rhode Island Boats leaving from Naragansett, RI, take advantage of the warm waters of the Gulf Stream to spot Finback, Humpbacks, Minke, Pilot, False Killer, and Sei whales. |
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Delaware You can try to find whales off Lewes, Delaware during the season, May to September. Even the tour company seems to think it's iffy Fisherman's Wharf |
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New Jersey Cape May, at the southern tip of New Jersey, has several tour operators who take you out to the open water to see whales and bottlenose dolphins. Some have a "marine mammal" guarantee--so you'll at least see a dolphin. Wildwood, the amusement park barrier island, has NJ's most whale watching tours. |
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South - See other aninals Down South |
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Virginia Virginia Beach Rudee Tours |
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The West - See other animals out West |
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Oregon The Whale Watching Center is HQ to Oregon's incredible "Whale-Watching Spoken Here" effort that plunks volunteers on 26 coastal locations during the peak weeks to see migrating gray whales. In late December whales head south; in March they head back. But you might see them anytime. (541) 765-3304
Air Tour of Gray Whales from Tilamook, OR
When gray whales migrate up and down the coast, you can even see them from the air. Tillamook Air Tours takes you up in a restored 1942 Stinson Reliants.
(503) 842-1942 Tillamook Airport |
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Washington The San Juan islands has lots of tours to see killer whales that are most visible in summer. The Whale Trail highslights places you can see them from the shore, like Lime Kiln Point State Park Orcas Island Eclipse Charters has a biodiesel boat that may pass Spieden Island, home to European Fallow Deer, Sitka Deer and Moufalon sheep, which were introduced and now protected. Anacortes Island Adventures Port Townsend PS Express Bellingham Island Mariner Their naturalists can id which pods the killer whales belong to. |
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California -- See other animals in California |
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CALIFORNIA San Francisco Right out of San Francisco, you can vist marine sanctuaries: Cordell Bank, the Farallon Islands, which has harbor seals, elephant seals, harbor porpoises, Pacific white-sided dolphins, rockfish, and the Tufted Puffin.You'll pass lighthouses, and possibly see blue or gray whales and sharks who come to eat seals and sea lions. It's the biggest seabird breeding colony in US--more than 400,000. Monterey Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is home to seals, sea lions, otters, rockfish, loons, brown pelicans, The seals and sea lions sometimes approach kayakers. You may even be able to see migrating gray whales from the shore in one of the many parks because there's a deep canyon right offshore. Fall and Spring: gray whales. Mothers and calves head from Baja to the Bering Sea, watching out for Orcas. Humpback and Blue Whales also pass. Monterey Bay Whale Watch is
run by a marine biologist
Los Angeles Boats from Newport Landing go out all year. May to Nov., you may see blue, killer or finback whales, seals, or thousands of dolphins. Dec. - April gray whale migrate through.
Some trips go by the Catalina Islands. A prime watching area is the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, which keeps track of marine mammals seen. Santa Barbara Blue whales, the largest creature on earth ever, migrate by Santa Barbara each summer. It's the biggest concentration anywhere. You can also see gray whales move up and down the coast in winter and spring.
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Hawaii --- See other animals in Hawaii |
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Up to 10,000 giant, endangered humpback whales winter around Hawaii. NOAA's Hawaiin Island Humpback Whale National Sanctuary lists plenty of places where you can see whales from shore.
The reserve is not contiguous--as you can see from its map. The $20 million Hawaiin whale-watching industry has boats going out all over the islands, too.
On the the last Saturday of January, February and March volunteers help count the whales from the islands of O`ahu, Kaua`i and Hawai`i.
Atlantis Adventures runs submarine cruises out of Waikiki, Maui and Kona. They have all kinds of permutations on the cruises on all kinds of submarines, including a whale lunch cruise in season. They range from 35 minutes to several hours, with some including elaborate meals or an extra charge for a good view. Up to $150 in 2009. The Pacific Whale Foundation has nine different, reasonably priced whale tours from both the Ma'alaea and Lahaina Harbors depending on the season. The group also offers dolphin tours, including all-day snorkeling, off Lana'i and Maui.
Oahu
Sea Quest has snorkel and inflatable boat tours to see whales and natural features
Captain Zodiac goes out all year to see dolphins and in the winter to see whales
Off Oahu you can snorkel with dolphins and turtles all year or go out in a boat to see whales in the winter.
Under the Sea offers really small tours with six or fewer people and a crew that's usually all women.
Ko Olina Ocean Adventure gives you an underwater camera (808) 671-2512
Big Island Huge, endangered humpback whales winter around Hawaii from December to April. Locals brag it's the only place in the country where whales breed and calve. In the winter you can see humpbacks. Other times you may see spinner dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, pilot whales, black whales, manta rays, sharks or sea turtles.
Blue Sea Cruises Inc
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Alaska - See other animals in Alaska |
Juneau
Many whale-watching boats paired with cruise ships take off from Juneau's Auke Bay in search of humpback whales and orcas. You may also see bald eagles, seals, sea lion, dall's porpoise and the harbor porpoise. |
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Anchorage Anchorage is right in the middle of several great ports that go out to look for humpback, killer and gray whales. Along the way, animal tourists may see bald eagles, seals, porpoises and puffins. |
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Canada -- See other animals in Canada |
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Quebec Saguenay--St.Lawrence Marine Park Where else can you see whales migrating hundreds of miles inland? 13 whale species (including the blue whale) and seals migrate through where the St. Lawrence meets the Saguenay Fjord. You can sometimes see whales from there shore, but there are plenty of whale watching cruises in this Quebec park. Whales visit the St. Lawrence Seaway from June to September. Their favorite spot seems to be the mouth of the Saugenay Fjord.
Essipit Croisières Essipit by Zodiac
Cape Spear (Near St. John's)
The fishing village of Twillingate
The MV Iceberg Alley sees humpback, minke and finback whales, dolpins, seals, terns, black quillenot, kittewakes, seagulls, puffins, murres, and shearwaters.
New Brunswick Campobello Island Not only does Capt. Mac Greene of Island Cruises take people out to see whales, he also rescues them as part of the Campobello Whale Rescue Team. That means when you go out on this dog-friendly, family-run boat, you get to hear stories of saving whales and bald eagles, which hang around the harbor near the East Quoddy Lighthouse. You may see minke, humpback, finback or northern right whales.
62 Head Harbor Rd, Campobello Island, New Brunswick 506 752-1107
Nova Scotia
West Brier Island. Mariner Cruises Whale & Seabird Tours offers this schedule:
Vancouver and British Columbia From May to October boats go out of Port McNeil to look for orca. You may also see minke whales, humpback whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, Dall’s porpoises, harbour seals, Steller sea lions, and nesting eagles. Tofino, a tiny former fishing town, is a base to see killer, gray and humpback whales, bears, huge storms and the Clayoquot Sound, a United Nations World Biosphere Reserve.
Ocean Outfitters has both bear and whale viewing. Jamie's Whaling Station tours Wouwer Island in Barkley Sound, where 2,500 California and Stellar Sea Lions visit in August and September. |
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Latin America -- See other animals in Latin America |
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BAJA The curiously friendly gray whales in Charles Siebert's New York Times Magazine piece Watching Whales Watching Us seem to know that the people here are safe and seek out interactions with them. Behavioral biologist Toni Frohoff says these whales show we may be able to forge a new kind of relationship with animals--one where they get something out of it, too. The gray whales migrate to this area from January to March and can be found primarily in 3 areas off Baja, California:
San Ingnacio You can support Ranulfo Mayoral, the first fisherman to realize the local whales were friendly and wanted to say hi, by using Pachio's Eco Tours. The hard part is getting here; San Ignacio is 170 miles from Loreto (LTO) airport.
Puerto San Carlos - Bahia de Magdelena Ssee gray and humpback whales and sea lions and their pups.
Laguna Ojo de Liebre, AKA Scammon’s Lagoon Closest to a big airport
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Brazil The Bahia region of Brazil is developing a whale-watching industry to see the humpbacks that spawn in the National Marine Park of Abrolhos from June to November. The Institute Baleai promotes the tours. A real bonus species: you may see penguins |
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Dominican Republic The Silver Bank in the Dominican Republic has been a sanctuary for breeding humpbacks since 1986. |
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Europe - See other animals in Europe |
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UK Hebrides, Scotland The Herberdes islands off Scotland are an important home to whales, dolphins, porpoises and even basking shark in summer. Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust keeps track of which species are seen when and where and has a visitor center at 28 Main St., Tobermory, Isle of Mull, PA75 6NU, UK 01688 302620
Wales Off of Wales, St. David's and Ramsey Island offers a chance to see dolphins and killer whales.You actually depart from Justinian, then head out to the Irish Sea. Along you'll see porpoise almost all the time, dolphins 95% and whales 30%, according to Offshore Islands Voyager.
Whales seen: Orca, Minke, Fin, Pilot Birds: Island of Grassholm breeds 60,000 Bonus Species: Atlantic Grey Seals, basking shark Dolphins: Common, White Sided, Bottlenose and Rissos Dolphin, Orca: June, July, Sept. |
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Iceland
Húsavík, Iceland, considers itself the whale capitol of Europe.
The Húsavík Whale Museum is, predictably, pro-whaling. Gentle Giants Whale Watching North Sailing Species seen: Killer, Blue, Minke, Dolphin Reykjavík
Reykjavík, Iceland, has so many whale watching boats you can pretty much turn up in the harbor to find one. They have 95% success. Some are fishermen when they aren't taking you out. Many are tiny boats, so be prepared for sea sickness. Species Seen: minke, blue, humpback whales, sei, fin and killer whales Bonus Species: Puffin, white-beaked dolphin, porpoise Tour companies: Elding - Reykjavík Whale Watching, Life of Whales, Eskimos, Iceland Travel, Iceland Excursions - Gray Line Iceland, Touris, Iceland on Track ehf. |
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Tysfjord, Norway
You can see killer whales from the land in Tysfjord, Norway, according to the Complete Whale-Watching Handbook. The orcas are here for the herring, which some have noticed is declining in recent years. The tours, which go out in winter and even offer snorkeling, are expensive, nearly $200. |
Greece A biologist leads an educational trip through Responsible Travel to study sperm whales and the giant squid they eat in the Ionian Sea. Season: May, September
Species Seen: sperm whales
Bonus species: giant squid; common, bottlenose and striped dolphin |
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Azores, Portugal
Sperm whales are the big attraction in the Azores. Boats leave from São Miguel and other islands. Species seen: sperm, pilot, killer and Sowerby's beaked whales Bonus Species: Risso, Atlantic Spotted and Striped dolphins Responsible Travel Package Futurismo |
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Africa |
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Hermanus, South Africa
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Madagascar The Wildlife Conservation Society helps run the whale-watching operations out of Madagascar's Bay of Antongil. Humpbacks come up from Antarctica to breed here. You might also see them from Nosy Be, Tuléar, Fort-Dauphin or Morondava |
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Asia |
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Japan Shikoku The island of Shikoku has whale cruises from many of its fishing ports. Kerama Islands Humpback whales breed around the Kerama islands in early spring. You may see them from shore on Tokashiki-jima or Zamami-jima Islands. Zamami has plenty of tour boats, too. Ogasawara Islands You can only get to the Ogasawara Islands by taking a 25-hour ferry from Tokyo. But once you get here, you have a 90% chance of seeing humpback whales. From February to April, you can see humpbacks from land. Sperm whales are seen in summer and fall. Dolphin swims year-round. |
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Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka may be the best place in the world to see blue and sperm whales. Wildlife Extra claims it's the calm seas that make it so easy to see the giant whales so close to shore.
You have a few tour choices that use local fishermen's boats. EcoTeam, Responsible Travel, Jetwing Season: Dec-April Species Seen: Blue, sperm, killer, bryde's, humpback whales Bonus Species: dolphin, tiger |
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Australia |
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New Zealand Kaikoura, NZ has year-round whales.
Responsible travel recommends Whale Watch a Maori-owned |
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Tonga Tongans let you swim with the 450 giant humpback whales that visit its islands each year. Whether this is a good idea for your or the whales is another question. Various tours offer sailing, kayaking, snorkeling with whales. |
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