Baja California · MexicoSeason end
Gray whales on their way north.
Final weeks in the lagoons before the great journey north to the Arctic. Close encounters still possible at San Ignacio.
Jan – Apr3 active spots
01
World atlas
of cetaceans
A living atlas, to follow the giants everywhere in the world.
Meet the giants
that rule the oceans.
02Every ocean, every season
12
cetacean species
documented and tracked
documented and tracked
80+
observation spots
listed worldwide
listed worldwide
365
days a year
somewhere, a season opens
somewhere, a season opens
07
places worldwide
where swimming with cetaceans is legal
where swimming with cetaceans is legal
03Right now
April 2026
What's moving
this month.
Silver Bank · Dominican RepublicOngoing
Last songs of the humpbacks.
Silver Bank remains active until late April. The only site in the world where regulated swimming with humpback whales is authorized.
Jan – AprSwim
Azores · PortugalSeason start
Fin and sperm whales arriving.
The opening of the great Atlantic season. Blue whales arrive first, followed by fin whales and resident sperm whales.
Apr – Oct4 species
Bremer Bay · AustraliaPeak season
Orcas at the feast.
Exceptional concentrations at Bremer Canyon. Collective hunts, encounters with sperm whales and giant sunfish.
Jan – AprGlobal peak
04The bestiary
Eleven giants
to know.
From the blue whale, the largest animal ever to have lived, to the narwhal of the ice, every species has its season, its geography, its signature traits.
Humpback whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
30spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Champion of song and acrobatic leaps.
Blue whale
Balaenoptera musculus
10spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The largest animal Earth has ever carried.
Gray whale
Eschrichtius robustus
7spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The curious one of the lagoons, will come to you.
Orca
Orcinus orca
13spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Strategist, matriarchal, apex of the seas.
Sperm whale
Physeter macrocephalus
10spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Diver of the abyss, hunter of giant squid.
Fin whale
Balaenoptera physalus
7spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The greyhound of the seas, second largest animal.
Southern right whale
Eubalaena australis
6spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Recognizable by its callosities, loud romances.
Beluga
Delphinapterus leucas
5spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The canary of the seas, white, vocal, social.
Narwhal
Monodon monoceros
4spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The Arctic unicorn and its spiral tusk.
Minke whale
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
5spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The smallest of the rorquals, discreet, elegant.
Dolphins
Delphinidae
30spots
JFMAMJJASOND
42 species, social, playful, everywhere.
Common dolphin
Delphinus delphis
22spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The most abundant dolphin in European Atlantic, with golden hourglass flanks.
Bottlenose dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
25spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The best-known dolphin, smart and coastal.
Amazon river dolphin
Inia geoffrensis
1spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The largest freshwater dolphin, pink in adulthood.
Pilot whale
Globicephala spp.
9spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Close-knit matriarchal family, bulbous melon.
North Atlantic right whale
Eubalaena glacialis
3spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Critically endangered, fewer than 400 individuals.
Bowhead whale
Balaena mysticetus
4spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Over two centuries of lifespan beneath the ice.
Bryde's whale
Balaenoptera edeni
8spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Tropical waters resident, often coastal.
Sei whale
Balaenoptera borealis
4spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Fastest swimmer among the great whales.
Harbour porpoise
Phocoena phocoena
7spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Discreet, short blow, close to the coast.
Green turtle
Chelonia mydas
45spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The most common, snorkel-visible across all tropics.
Loggerhead turtle
Caretta caretta
20spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Powerful head, emblem of Mediterranean beaches.
Hawksbill turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata
25spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Pointed beak, tile-like scutes, queen of coral reefs.
Leatherback turtle
Dermochelys coriacea
18spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The largest, dives to 1,200 m, ocean nomad.
Olive ridley turtle
Lepidochelys olivacea
12spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Spectacular arribadas · thousands of synchronised nestings.
Kemp's ridley turtle
Lepidochelys kempii
3spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The rarest · endemic to the Gulf of Mexico.
Flatback turtle
Natator depressus
5spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Australian endemic, never migrates far from the coast.
Grey seal
Halichoerus grypus
15spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The large pinniped of the North Atlantic coasts.
Sea otter
Enhydra lutris
4spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The smallest marine mammal, keeper of the kelp forests.
West Indian manatee
Trichechus manatus
6spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Iconic Caribbean sirenian, herbivore and social.
Walrus
Odobenus rosmarus
3spots
JFMAMJJASOND
The tusked giant of the Arctic, up to 1.5 tonnes.
Mediterranean monk seal
Monachus monachus
4spots
JFMAMJJASOND
Europe's most endangered pinniped, ~700 individuals.
05Iconic spots
Six destinations
that change a life.
From the Baja lagoons to the fjords of Tromsø, the world's prime observation sites, selected for reliability, beauty, and operator quality.
Jan – Apr
Dominican Republic
Silver Bank
Humpback whaleDolphinsSwim
Year-round
New Zealand
Kaikoura & Cook Strait
Sperm whaleOrcaDolphinsSouthern right whaleSwim
Jul – Oct
Tonga
Vava'u, Ha'apai & Tongatapu
Humpback whaleGreen turtleSwim
Feb – Dec
Argentina
Péninsule Valdés
Southern right whaleOrca
Mar – Oct
Portugal
Açores (Pico, Faial, São Miguel)
Sperm whaleBlue whaleFin whaleSei whaleHumpback whaleDolphinsPilot whaleLoggerhead turtleSwim
Oct – Jan
70° nord, Norway
Skjervøy, Tromsø & Lyngenfjord
OrcaHumpback whaleSperm whaleSwim
Frequently asked
Whale watching worldwide
The most common questions about whale watching, season by season.
Where can you watch whales around the world?
Over 80 documented spots across every ocean: Húsavík (Iceland), Andenes (Norway), Tromsø (orcas), the Azores (sperm whales year-round), Hermanus (South Africa), Kaikoura (New Zealand), San Ignacio (Baja California), Mirissa (blue whales), La Réunion, Martinique, Guadeloupe and the Mediterranean (Pelagos sanctuary). The map shows active seasons month by month.
What is the best time to see whales?
It depends on species and location. Humpbacks: December–May in the Caribbean and tropics, June–September in Iceland and Norway. Blue whales: December–April in Sri Lanka, July–October in Monterey Bay. Orcas in Tromsø: November–January. Sperm whales in the Azores: year-round. Right whales in Hermanus: June–November.
What whale species exist?
Around 90 living cetacean species. Whale Spotter covers 30 key species: great whales (humpback, blue, fin, sperm, gray, right whales, bowhead, Bryde's, sei, minke), toothed whales (orca, beluga, narwhal, pilot whale) and dolphins (bottlenose, common, striped, Amazon river dolphin, harbour porpoise).
What is the fastest whale?
The sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) is the fastest of the great whales, exceeding 50 km/h in bursts. The orca follows at peaks of ~55 km/h on short distances. In travel mode most baleen whales cruise between 5 and 15 km/h.
What is the biggest whale?
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest animal ever to have lived: up to 30 m long and 190 tonnes. Its heart alone weighs 600 kg and its tongue weighs as much as an elephant.
How do you choose an ethical operator?
Look for: respect of legal minimum distances (100 m for great whales, 300 m with calf), small groups, low speed, no chasing, no swimmers without permit, locally rooted, membership in a conservation label (WSAW, World Cetacean Alliance, EAAM). Check online reviews and the guide's background.