How to Safely Swim with Whales
Participate in a humbling ocean experience.
The azure waters of the South Pacific are a gateway to one of nature’s most exhilarating experiences— swimming with humpback whales. Sharing space with these incredible animals can transform you; it’s a humbling experience to observe our ocean’s largest creatures and I hope that these kinds of responsible wildlife interactions inspire greater care and compassion for our planet.
Obviously, this is not an activity for everyone and it requires special care, responsibility, and strong swimming skills to say the least. However, getting to be in the water with whales is a lifelong dream for many who discover it, but one lingering question prevents some from entering the water.
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Is it safe?
Just by looking at the mammoth size of these beautiful creatures, it’s no surprise that some are not as eager to hop off the boat. After all, adult humpback whales are the length of a school bus and weigh upwards of 30 tons. One accident could potentially spell disaster. On the flip side, we must also consider the safety of the whales.
Sharing the same space as these gargantuan animals does not have to be a scary experience. Humpback whales are one of nature's most gentle sentient creatures and are highly connected to their surroundings. They have unbelievable control over their body movements and special recognition. With the right guidance, you can limit the risks involved when swimming next to these gentle giants.
By following a few basic ground rules, swimming with humpback whales can be a rewarding and safe adventure, for humans and whales.
Let’s go over the essentials.
Let the whales control the interaction.
Always remember that nobody in your group has control of what a whale might do in the water. Experienced guides are good predicting whale behaviour, but they are not able to control whales. These are wild animals and you are entering their territory.
Swimming with humpback whales is never on our terms and the amount of interaction is up to the whales. That’s why we always proceed with caution when we’re lucky enough to see these majestic creatures in the wild.
For a safe encounter, stay behind your whale guide and let them gauge the whale’s behaviour. This allows us to see if we’re invited into their home or if it’s best to move elsewhere.
When I’m guiding my boat, we only enter the water at a minimum distance of 150 metres from the whales, this also ensures that the whales are in charge of the interaction. Even then, I only send one or two experienced individuals to scout the whales and allow them to decide if they are tolerant of our presence around them.
If they don’t want to swim with us, they will not approach or just continue swimming on their way. If they approach us, we stay calm and let them come to us. If they decide to play, you’ll know immediately, as their behavioural changes will indicate a desire for an interaction-- swimming closely, doubling back, swimming under us, surfacing next to us, etc.
Don’t touch the whales.
Making physical contact with humpback whales poses several safety concerns for you and the whales. That’s why touching whales is typically prohibited for your safety and the whales’.
Your physical safety can be jeopardized if a whale feels threatened. Whales may swing their massive tales in self defence (and also in times of play, but more on that later) and this can cause you bodily harm. Humpback whales also have sharp barnacles on their fins and bellies that can cut you and possibly lead to an infection.
Avoiding contact also protects whales, and it is best if whales remain far away from boats as accidents with shipping vessels kills numerous whales each year. It’s generally never acceptable to touch a wild animal.
It’s certainly possible a whale might attempt to initiate contact with you— this does happen every once in a while, especially with playful adults and curious babies. However, it’s best to avoid this scenario for the safety of you and the whales. If this happens, stay calm and swim slowly backwards to avoid direct contact.
Never swim at whales, especially moms and calves; instead swim with them.
Whenever you see a baby animal in the wild, the mother is sure to be nearby. We all know the protective instincts of our moms, and the same goes for mama whales that we may encounter.
The best thing to do when spotting a calf is to keep a safe distance to avoid confrontation with its parent. Any moves we make towards the calf could be interpreted as aggression, and this may cause the adult whale to defend its baby, normally by swimming away. Tail thrashes are not out of the question. The mothers are tired from raising and feeding the calves and we do not want to add to their stress.
Also, young calves have yet to develop full control of their bodies, and they can accidentally cause you harm when too close. Although the babies are quite playful and extremely curious, it’s best to stay a bit farther away from them, as they can also breach right next to you when excited. Babies are still 3 to 4 metres long, so they carry substantial weight to them.
To be clear, never swim directly at a mother and calf. Wait for them to approach; just float there slowly at a distance of around 20-30 metres and see what they do.
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Avoid the tail.
A whale’s tail is powerful enough to propel its enormous body out of the water in just three pumps. One swipe could have grave consequences if you were swimming in its vicinity.
Whales cannot see you when you’re around the tail and they may unintentionally strike you in the water. It’s extremely rare for a whale to use its tail to purposely cause harm but you want the whale to always see you.
This will avoid any catastrophic accidents if the whale decides to propel itself from the water. For your safety, you’ll always swim close to the whale’s face and near its eyes.
Make sure you are a strong open water swimmer before jumping into the ocean.
If you're not confident in your swimming ability, you may want to consider staying in the boat. Most whale swimming expeditions take place in deep, open ocean water and may spend long hours on the water. Waves can be powerful and inexperienced swimmers may find themselves in a dangerous situation at sea.
If you’re unable to control your body in the water, you potentially put yourself and the whales in harm’s way. To ensure your safety, we recommend only strong swimmers take part in these types of experiences. You must be able to swim a minimum of 400 meters unaided at a time in open water. Remember the maximum distance a boat can get to a whale is 150 metres, and the whales swim much faster than humans.
Sudden movements, splashing and thrashing in the water in your part actually scare the whales away, so this is also something to consider (this behaviour also may attract oceanic white tip sharks which have an overlapping territory with humpback whales, and that’s not exactly a shark you’d like to attract). You must be confident, calm, and smooth in the water when around whales.
To improve your whale swimming experience, it is advisable to learn how to free dive prior (PADI or AIDA II certification is beneficial), though this is not a requirement to engage with the whales.
Only dive if the whales are already settled and interacting with you.
The second to last safety pointer has to do with free diving. You should only dive (meaning descend to below 3 metres or more) when the whales are already actively interacting with you and have become comfortable to your presence.
Diving too early can scare the whales away and ruin an interaction. Just wait for the whales to become comfortable, make multiple passes with you and display playful behaviour before diving.
Likewise, never dive with a calf and mom, just snorkel calmly at the surface with them instead.
Always listen to your guide and captain.
The most important thing you can do for your safety during your swim is always follow the whale guide's instructions. They have years of experience observing the behaviour of humpback whales and will be able to best determine the appropriate times and for a successful interaction.
This will ensure you remain safe, respect the whales and create lots of magical memories connecting with, respecting, and appreciating wildlife.
Where can you go to experience whale swimming for yourself?
Check out some of incredible eco expedition trips in the remote Austral Islands if you are interested in participating in a responsible, community-based whale swimming experience. These trips are hosted by local Rurutuans and combine expert-led whale swimming and free-diving with traditional Polynesian cultural activities like farm-to-table meal creation, taro harvesting, hiking and fishing.
See One with Whales for more information. As whale migrations are seasonal, trips are available every September and October.
