Whale watching is a great way to experience marine life up close and personal. Whale watching first began in the mid 1950′s when the Carbrillo National Monument in San Diego was allowed for public viewing of Gray Whales. After this whale watching spread throughout the nation like wild fire. Various locations are great hot spots for viewing many different species of whales.
European countries such as, Britain, Iceland, Scandinavia, France, etc, offer an ample whale population. Whales in these areas can vary greatly in size. You may see large Blue Whales or a much smaller Harbor Porpoise. In the middle of the Northeast Atlantic, the Sperm Whale can be seen in great numbers, with a high concentration of females and their calves.
Whale watching in Australia most commonly occurs up and down the East coast. From headlands whales migrating to the south are highly visible. During the breeding seasons, Brazil offers an abundance of Humpback Whales. Southern Right Whales can be observed from the shore of Santa Caterina State. They can come as close as 30 meters to the shore.
New England’s whale watching season begins in the mid spring through the month of October. Here you can observe the Northern Humpback Whale Fin Whale Minke Whale and the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale Nantucket, Tennessee is a fertile feeding ground for these whales. It is also a common occurrence to see the North Atlantic Right Whale feeding in harbors in cities, like New York.
The west coast of Canada and the United States have exceptional whale watching during the spring and summer. The top locations in these countries are Alaska, British Columbia, and the San Juan Islands in Washington. The most common species of whale in these areas are the Orca. The Farallon Islands of San Fransisco, California offer Humpback Whales, Gray Whales, and Blue Whales. Baja California Sur in Mexico have heavily populated whale breeding grounds in their lagoons. These breeding grounds are their habitat during the months of February and March. Tadoussac in the province of Quebec offers large quantities of Beluga Whales. In the maritmes, Humpback whales can commonly be seen in the Bay of Fundy.
Around the Central Visayas , Dvao Gulf, in the Philippines, over thirty species of whales can be observed. The summer is often the best time to whale watch in the Philippines, but there is no definite whale watching season. Kaikoura, New Zealand is a world renown whale watching location, especially for the Sperm Whale and the Albatrosses species. Through August to the end of November the Southern Humpback whale is commonly seen in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia. Also Sydney , Eden, Port Stephens, Byron Bay are superb spots for whale watching during May through November
Whale Watching is an adventure that is exciting and educational as well. Aquariums cannot compare with seeing these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat, swimming the ocean waters. Go whale watching today and create memories that will last a lifetime.