Swimming with whales in Tahiti & Moorea

When you see such exquisite images as the one below it is no wonder that you drift into daydreaming about peacefully swimming with whales in Tahiti and Moorea. The calm waters around these Polynesian islands is a nursery for the majestic humpback whales. It is here where you can have the most captivating underwater encounters with these fascinating giants.

Our guest author, Tobias Zimmer, took the long journey to the South Pacific to experience firsthand what it’s like to feel the song of the humpbacks. And so, his dream of swimming with whales in Tahiti and Moorea came true!

Photo by Álvaro Herrero

The incredible experience of swimming with whales in Tahiti

“The water is so clear that at first you don’t even realize how far away the whale is. When it then starts to ascend and get closer, it simply takes your breath away. They are humongous!”

I listen to fascinating stories about the incredible experience of swimming with whales in Tahiti and Moorea, French Polynesia. Then my friend stops in the middle of a sentence and says, “Somehow you can’t really describe it. You just have to experience it yourself.” And so it happened!

Heading over to Moorea for some whale watching

Moorea is the direct neighboring island of Tahiti. You can feel that a completely different, much more leisurely pace reigns here. Apart from a few off-road slopes, there is only one road that winds around the island and its picturesque bays. There is absolutely no traffic chaos on this South Sea island. It’s a dream to be here and if you want to see whales, you’ve come to the right place.

We glide leisurely through the calm lagoon on an eight-meter-long covered zodiac until we hit the great swell of the Pacific through the channel in the outer reef. We are looking for humpbacks here. Our dream is of swimming with the whales. It is September and thus the high season for whale encounters. Normally, most of the approximately 1,000 Polynesian whales should have come back here from their winter residences in Antarctica. To the place where they were once born. They have fasted since they left Antarctica. And it will stay that way until they get back there again after about six months and more than 12,000 kilometers. They come to the waters of the French Polynesia to give life.

Whales straight ahead – But when can you encounter them underwater?

We are approaching slowly. The law specifies a minimum distance of 100 meters for boats and 30 meters for snorkelers. Not all of the over 25 local providers take the rules of dealing with the gentle sea giants seriously.

Now it’s time to wait and measure the diving times of the whales. When humpback whales are in motion, they can stay underwater for a maximum of twelve minutes. In this case there is no point in going into the water yourself. The probability of seeing a swimming whale underwater is low.

However, if the mammals are in a resting phase, the chances of an unforgettable experience increase. With this, the time of their diving phases also increases and thus also the waiting phases for us over water can be to up to 45 minutes till the whale comes back up for air. That means: If you want to see whales underwater, you need a lot of patience. After several hours of observation, we let two animals migrate without being able to get them in front of our lenses underwater.

Fears that global warming is causing a curious behaviour

Time passes quickly in front of the Jurassic Park scenery of Moorea’s mountain landscape. We see more whales swimming, but our guide is concerned. He says he hasn’t seen such behaviour in his 30 years on the island. Not only did the whales appear in significantly small numbers and much too late this year, they are also unusually nervous. The cause of this phenomenon can only be speculated.

One thing is certain: global warming is having a negative impact on algae growth in the Antarctic. These are the source of food for plankton, the main meal of the whales. One cannot imagine that the marine mammals arrive at their feeding grounds after months of fasting and a trip around half the globe and find nothing or too little to eat there. Maybe they’re just running late? “I hope so,” replies our guide.

The whales from Tahiti

In the evening on the pier of the hotel, with the fairytale view of James Cook Bay, I imagine what it must have been like before the whales were almost completely exterminated. According to calculations before the time of industrial whaling, there were around 15,000 humpback whales in the entire South Pacific. In 1965 there were only 150 animals left, i.e. a single percent. The killing of whales has been banned for over 50 years here. The population is growing. But only slowly.

Dr. Michael Poole knows the numbers. In cooperation with the research station at Berkeley University California, he collects data about the whales on Moorea and supports students on site as a doctoral supervisor. His work is financed through whale watching tours. It is a special experience to accompany him out to sea.

“10:35 am. A group of eight bottlenose dolphins was sighted in the eastern channel in front of the Manama Resort. A fully grown male shows fresh bite marks from a cookie cutter.” Poole dictates every sighting, every behavior and of course the diving times of the whales into his dictaphone. In the afternoon everything is entered into the database. This pedantic way of observing has probably given him the greatest success of his career. Thanks to Michael Poole, we now know that French Polynesia is not only a stopover for the whales on their journey, but also their delivery room. This means that there is a group of whales that have Polynesian citizenship.

It’s finally time for a swim with the humpback whales

We watch a whale. It appears exactly where it dived 22 minutes ago. This is a real opportunity. We quickly put on fins and masks and slide into the bottomless blue. As the head dips under water we freeze. Music surrounds us. Strange, but clearly harmonious, touching and penetrating. We are very lucky to have found a singing bull. It’s a good 35 meters below us. I dive a little way down to him and the sound makes my body shake. I don’t just hear his song, I feel it in me. “Somehow you can’t really describe it. You have to experience it yourself.” That’s right! We exercised patience on Moorea for six days. But for this one hour with the undersea choir boy, the waiting was more than worth it.

In addition to swimming with whales in Tahiti and Moorea, my friend also raved about the dolphins off Rangiroa. So I’m changing turf.

Diving at Rangiroa – sharks and dolphins

If Moorea sets a leisurely pace, then on Rangiroa time stands still. The inhabited part of the island in the Tuamotu Archipelago is around ten kilometers long and at its narrowest point is just 300 meters wide. The life of the locals is so relaxed that it would be difficult for us to endure it in the long run.

The calm on land is countered by the current of the Tiputa Canal underwater. This attracts a large number of large fish.

French Polynesia is rightly called the “Kingdom of Sharks”. Doing a dive on the Tiputa Channel and not seeing sharks is out of the question. However, there is another specialty here. Manu, our local guide from TOPDIVE, leads us along the reef towards the channel. A group of dolphins, which you can see from a great distance because of the magnificent visibility, is approaching. Suddenly a female shears off and swims straight towards Manu. He lives up to his nickname: “Dolphin Whisperer”. The dolphin knows him well. She comes to him to cuddle.

What is happening now arouses controversial reactions. But I find it difficult to escape the grace of the situation. Manu pats his underwater girlfriend. He obviously knows what she likes. Their charisma expresses joy, pleasure and wellbeing. Unfortunately, the other divers in the group can not hold back and also want to touch the dolphin. That doesn’t bother the animal. Still, the grace of the situation is gone.

There are many legends, but nobody really knows why the females here have been seeking proximity to certain divers for several generations. Sure, we all know that we should never touch animals underwater. But what do you do when a dolphin suddenly swims to you voluntarily, looks at you and quite obviously asks for a cuddle?

Heading back to Europe – definitely faster than the migration of the humpback whales

I’m back on the plane. Shortly after take-off, an indescribable view of the coast with its lagoons and reefs opens up. Three humpback whales appear in the blue of the South Pacific. You were just late, I think.

On my flight I will comfortably cover about the same distance in 22 hours as the humpback whales take half a year to cover. This is the longest known mammalian migration. I agree with my friend once more: “You have to experience it all for yourself.”

How to get to French Polynesia

French Polynesia is politically considered to be France’s overseas territory. The 118 islands extend over five archipelagos in a four million square kilometer marine area in the southern Pacific. The most famous islands are Tahiti with the capital Papeete, the sister island Moorea as well as Rangiroa, Fakarava, Bora Bora, Taha’a and Tikehau. Most of the islands are only sparsely populated and 40 are uninhabited.

How to get there: for example from Paris with Air Tahiti Nui via Los Angeles to Papeete in Tahiti.

Scuba diving and humpback whale season in French Polynesia

Moorea, Rangiroa and Fakarava are among the best dive sites in French Polynesia. Spectacular encounters with dolphins, sharks (gray, tiger, silk and hammerhead sharks) and manta rays are the order of the day. Myriads of reef fish. The humpback season is from July to December. Your best chances of swimming with whales are in Tahiti and as well as off Moorea and Rurutu in the south.

The best dive center in French Polynesia is without a doubt TOPDIVE. They have 11 dive centers on 6 islands and have been operating for more than 20 years. The staff is very friendly and professional. Their top priority is the guests’ safety, comfort and satisfaction. You get free Nitrox and can book an inter-island dive package that allows you to explore all the best dive sites of Polynesia.

Climate and best time to travel to Tahiti and Moorea

The rainiest months are December and January. As usual in the tropics, the rains are heavy and short-lived. Best travel time: May to October. It gets very hot in March. The average temperatures are 23° to 30° C.

About the author

Tobias Zimmer is a German photo engineer specialised in underwater photography. He loves to depict the beauty of the world and cultures but his true desire is the underwater world. For almost 15 year he has been working as a photojournalist and regularly publishes articles in the German dive magazines Tauchen, Unterwasser and Silent World. Moreover, his images have been published in several other publications like National Geographic Travel and CN Traveler.