The Ultimate Gear and Packing Guide for Swimming with Whales

Aug 11

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Swimming with whales can be one of the most emotional and life-changing experiences with wildlife you can experience. As long as it’s done responsibly and with great care and patience, this unique activity can help provide support for the continued protection of whales and help people build a personal, genuine connection to these highly sentient animals.

Swimming with whales is only permitted for tourists in specific locations around the world, and protocol should be followed at all times as to not scare or disturb the whales.

Currently, top locations for whale swimming trips include Tonga, French Polynesia, Comoros, Mauritius, Australia, and Norway. Whales also gather in significant numbers in Hawaii, the Cook Islands, the Azores, Samoa, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Dominica, and Canada amongst other places, but securing appropriate scientific or media permits is necessary to enter the water with them in most cases.

It’s vital to be prepared both mentally and physically for swimming with whales. Having the correct gear, clothing and equipment can go a long way in helping you have a successful and enjoyable swim while minimizing disturbances to the whales.

What to Pack

Snorkel, Free-diving and Swimming Gear

Mask— this is one of the most important, if not the single most important piece of gear you will need for enjoying your whale swimming experience. How to know if a mask is right for you? A good mask should fit your face snugly, should maintain suction to your face while you breathe without the strap on, should not constrict the bridge of your nose, and should be comfortable. With masks, you get what you pay for.

I also recommend black-sided/framed masks, as the clear-sided masks may result in light leak, causing your view to become obstructed with reflections.

It’s a good idea to try on your mask before buying it, or buy through Amazon well ahead of your trip, so if it does not fit well, you can return it. If using a new mask (glass lenses), be sure to use toothpaste or a lighter flame to remove the thin factory coating on the inside of the mask before use.

Here are some mask suggestions:

Mares Viper— great mask for freediving, solid seal, good for people with smaller or more narrow faces.
Mares x-Free Spearfishing Freediving Mask— top of the line mask for freediving.
Cressi Matrix Black— great freediving and snorkeling mask from Cressi.
Mako Freediving Mask— a lower cost yet great option for a solid freediving mask with no leakage and small volume.
OMGear Scuba Diving Mask— much cheaper alternative to the more pricy free-diving masks.

Snorkel— I recommend using a bare-bones free-diving snorkel for whale swimming. A snorkel with a drain at the top is fine, so that splashing water will not go down your snorkel and into your mouth, but the more complex the technology, the more chance of it presenting problems. As a general rule of thumb, keep it simple, and it will not fail.

My recommendations include:

Pure basic snorkel (highly recommended)— Mares Pure Instinct Snorkel
Snorkel with drain and valve: Cressi Supernova Dry

Fins— It is important to have good fins so that you can move the water quickly, quietly and cover distance. The most important thing is that your fins are comfortable. They should ideally be negatively buoyant so your fins stay beneath the surface when moving to not disturb the whales. Splashing at the surface can easily scare them away. Do not get fins that require booties; thin lycra socks are fine if they are slightly too big or uncomfortable on your feet.

Free-diving and or spearfishing fins are excellent, assuming you are already comfortable using them, as they are very long and can cause extreme leg cramps if you are not used to using fins this size. If in doubt, use a pair of medium-length fins that strike a healthy balance between speed and ease of use.

Fins should be bendable and fit snugly on your feet; cheap, stiff plastic fins with back straps are not recommended. I recommend the following:

Free-diving fins— Cressi Men's Gara 3000 LD Long Distance Long Blade Diving Fins
Medium length adjustable strap snorkeling/scuba fins: Mares Avanti Quattro Plus Open Heel Bungee Strap Fin
Medium length fixed size snorkeling/scuba fins: Mares Superchannel Full Foot Scuba Fins
Medium/short length snorkeling fins: Cressi Adult Snorkeling Fins with Self-Adjustable Comfortable Full Foot Pocket

Wetsuits, Wetsuit Tops, Shorties or Spring Suits— Whale swimming typically requires several jumps in and out of a boat and a lot of searching in open waters for whales. You can expect to spend prolonged periods of time in the water and sitting on a boat drenched. Despite tropical temperatures and warm water, most people get cold going in and out of the water all day long, and many of your boat towels will end up becoming too wet to use throughout the day.

Most people will want a wetsuit top, shorty, spring suit, or some type of wetsuit that keeps your torso warm. People who get cold very easily may want a 2-3mm full-body wetsuit, and with that comes the added benefit of flotation. Even if you don’t wear a wetsuit, it is good to have one on hand in case of rain or cloudy weather.

If you decide to purchase a wetsuit online, keep in mind many of the manufacturers are from Asia and the sizes run small— meaning that it’s best to order a size or two bigger than you normally would.

Some options to look into include:

Wetsuits
- Seavenger Odyssey 3mm Wetsuit
- Dyung Tec Wetsuits Mens 3MM Camo Neoprene wetsuit
- For higher-end wetsuits, you can check out Cressi, but unless you want to invest $300 or more in a nice 2-piece free-diving suit, they are all about the same at the basic level.
Shorties
- Seavenger Navigator 3mm Shorty
- Cressi Tahiti (mens / womens)
Rash Guards
- Speedo
- O’Neill
- TSLA (women / men)

Weight-belt and Weights— if you plan on freediving with the whales (appropriate except when you are with a mother and calf, as free diving can easily be seen as threatening to them), you will need a weight-belt and weights to help counter buoyancy (caused by your wetsuit and your body itself). Depending on your free-diving experience and how buoyant you are, you should bring enough weights to aim for neutral buoyancy between 10-20 metres in depth.

Scuba Choice Heavy Duty Rubber Weight Belt with SS Buckle— easy to use, easy to add weights, one of the best for free diving.
SEAC Nylon Buckle Rubber Belt— a rubber weight belt that is fully adjustable and sticks well to your wetsuit.
Sea Pearls Uncoated Lace Thru Style Weights - 2 Lbs

Anti-fog drops or baby shampoo— extremely useful for de-fogging your mask. One of the best and cheapest solutions is to simply mix baby shampoo and water and use that solution to clean out your mask before rinsing it out with seawater. Otherwise, you can bring along anti-fog drops or spray.

Baby Shampoo
Sea Drops Anti Fog

Underwater Photography Gear

Underwater housing for DSLR cameras
- Nauticam— highest end gear, reliable, top of the line products, extremely expensive.
- Ikelite— good quality at mid-range prices.
- Sea Frogs— most affordable underwater housings, work well up to 40 metres. Good value.
Dome Port for underwater housings
Wide-angle lens (typically when taking photos of whales underwater, you will want to shoot between 11mm and 30mm). Whales are massive animals and you will tend to get very close to them on a good swim.
Housing grips
GoPro HERO 7 Black or HERO 6 Black make good, easy to use, substitutes for a full underwater DSLR kit, depending on the quality and use you’re going for. The HERO 6 and 7 Blacks do very well underwater for whale shots.
Cleaning kit
Extra towel or two for the camera
Store your camera in a large bucket of freshwater while on the boat, and be sure to fully flush the buttons and housing exterior with fresh water after each day in the sea.