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Trip Description
Ever dream of swimming with a humpback whale? Every year, the beautiful island of Mo’orea in French Polynesia is visited by these otherworldly giants from July to November. They arrive at the island to mate, nurse their young, and rest from a long migration. As you cruise around the island, surrounded by a beautiful reef and a tropical mountainscape, they can be found playing, cruising, breaching and singing songs that will vibrate through your whole being. The experience is magical.
The last few years I have had the incredible opportunity to experience this phenomenon first hand. Whether watching from the boat or swimming alongside these graceful creatures the moments have been unforgettable. The best way to understand it, is to experience it for yourself. Therefore I decided to help bring the opportunity to others.
When planning this trip there were a few important key details that were important.
First comes respect. These magnificent animals can be very willing to interact and share their ocean environment with us but in the end, it is their environment. We made sure to work with local guides and boat captains that are unwilling to compromise the whale’s safety (and ours) or their space in order to provide a forced interaction.
Second-give back. Our captains and guides are also involved in research for both whale and shark species around the island. We wanted to support the local community, especially those interested in long term protection and conservation for this island paradise.
Third-experience. I wanted to provide an amazing experience for anyone who chose to embark on this journey with me. We are keeping the tour size to a minimum number. Smaller tour groups allow more time in the water and more opportunity to engage these wonderful animals.I have also tried to maximize boat days with 4 half days on the water and one full (a detailed itinerary can be found below). These days will consist of cruising around the island looking for whales and getting in the water with them as much as possible. Other species we may run into include dolphins, sea turtles, rays, pilot whales, oceanic whitetips, and more.
Last, but not least- remember. This tour includes underwater photos and videos taken and edited by Nathan Minatta, an Emmy award winning videographer. When you don’t have to worry about capturing the moment you can fully immerse yourself and enjoy the experience. You can rest assured the memories are being memorialized for you.
While no diving certification is necessary for this experience (all interactions are done snorkeling) it is recommended to be comfortable in the ocean and strong swimming skills are ideal.
