Monday 4 December 2023

Fuerteventura, The Canaries

Cetacean species: Risso's dolphin.
Whale watching operator: ICENAi

Tuesday 12 September 2023

Celtic Sea (from Ireland)

Cetacean species: common dolphin, minke whale.
Other wildlife seen: grey seal.
Best time to go: August to November for these two species.
Whale watching operator: Whale Watch West Cork

Common dolphin,
Celtic Sea

Friday 14 October 2022

Nosy Be, Madagascar

Cetacean species: spinner dolphin, humpback whale, Omura's whale.
Other wildlife seen: whale shark, reef manta ray, green turtle.
Best time to go: October to November.
Whale watching operator: Les Baleines Rand'eau

Omura's whale,
off Nosy Be


Wednesday 2 August 2017

North Sea (from England)

Cetacean species: harbour porpoise.
Other wildlife seen: grey seal.
Best time to go: August to September.
Whale-watching operator: Whitby Coastal Cruises

Friday 17 March 2017

Weligama Bay, Sri Lanka

Cetacean species: blue whale.
Best time to go: November to April.
Whale-watching operator: Mirissa Water Sports


Blue whale,
Weligama Bay

 

Thursday 4 August 2016

Walker Bay, South Africa

Cetacean species: Southern right whale.
Other wildlife seen: Cape rock hyrax, African penguin.
Best time to go: July to November.
Whale-watching operator: Southern Right Charters


Southern right whale,
Walker Bay

Saturday 15 August 2015

North Sea (from England)

Cetacean species: white-beaked dolphin.
Other wildlife seen: grey seal.
Best time to go: July to September.
Whale-watching operator: Farne Island Boat Trips

For more photographs go to Elusive Dolphins

White-beaked dolphin,
North Sea

Thursday 23 July 2015

Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Cetacean species: bottlenose dolphin.
Other wildlife seen: whale shark, giant manta ray.
Best time to go: July (I was in Mexico to snorkel with the whale sharks which are only there for a few weeks, but the bottlenose dolphins are presumably resident).

Wednesday 25 June 2014

Faial Island, The Azores

Cetacean species: sperm whale, common dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, humpback whale, fin whale, Risso's dolphin, short-finned pilot whale, false killer whale, sei whale, bottlenose dolphin.
Other wildlife seen: loggerhead turtle.
Best time to go: June to September for resident sperm whales and dolphins; April to May for migratory rorqual whales.
Whale-watching operator: Whale Watch Azores
For more photographs go to Whales & Dolphins of the Azores

Common dolphin,
Faial Island





Sperm whale,
Faial Island


 

Thursday 16 May 2013

Chanonry Point, Scotland

Cetacean species: bottlenose dolphin.
Best time to go: May to September.

Whale-watching operator: not required! Just stand on the beach at Chanonry Point
For more photographs go to North of the Border

Bottlenose dolphin,
Chanonry Point

Thursday 6 September 2012

Vancouver Island, Canada

Cetacean species: grey whale, orca, Pacific white-sided dolphin, harbour porpoise.
Other wildlife seen: harbour seal, brown bear, black bear, sea otter, North American river otter, Steller's sea lion.
Best time to go: April to September.
Whale-watching operators:
Remote Passages and Campbell River Whale Watching
For more photographs go to Vancouver: Island and city

Orca,
Vancouver Island















Grey whale,
Vancouver Island



Wednesday 30 May 2012

Disko Bay, Greenland

Cetacean species: bowhead whale, minke whale.
Other wildlife seen: harp seal.
Best time to go: May to June.

For more photographs go to Bowheads and Icebergs

Bowhead whales,
Disko Bay

Friday 24 July 2009

Strait of Gibraltar (from Spain)

Cetacean species: striped dolphin, common dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, orca, long-finned pilot whale.
Best time to go: July to August.
Whale-watching operator: Turmares Tarifa

For more photographs go to Spanish Dolphins

Striped dolphin,
Strait of Gibraltar





Bottlenose dolphin,
Strait of Gibraltar



Saturday 25 August 2007

Nova Scotia (south shore), Canada

Cetacean species: fin whale.
Other wildlife seen: harbour seal, grey seal.
Best time to go: July to September.

Note: tours leaving from the Bay of Fundy side of Nova Scotia would be more productive - I was in Canada as a conservation volunteer rather than as a tourist on this occasion.

Thursday 24 August 2006

Loch Gairloch and The Minch, Scotland

Cetacean species: harbour porpoise.
Other wildlife seen: grey seal.
Best time to go: June to September.
Whale-watching operator: Hebridean Whale Cruises

Wednesday 23 August 2006

Moray Firth, Scotland

Cetacean species: common dolphin (rare at this location), bottlenose dolphin.
Best time to go: May to September.
Whale-watching operator: Ecoventures


Common dolphin,
Moray Firth

Sunday 19 March 2006

Dominica

Cetacean species: sperm whale, pantropical spotted dolphin, bottlenose dolphin.
Best time to go: December to April.
Whale-watching operator: Anchorage Hotel, Whale Watch & Dive Centre
For more photographs go to Whales & Dolphins of the Caribbean


Sperm whale,
Dominica



Sunday 24 July 2005

Bimini Islands, The Bahamas

Cetacean species: Atlantic spotted dolphin, bottlenose dolphin.
Other wildlife seen: nurse shark.
Best time to go: May to October.

For more photographs go to Whales & Dolphins of the Caribbean

Atlantic spotted dolphins,
Bimini Islands


Saturday 11 September 2004

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Cetacean species: humpback whale, fin whale, minke whale, Atlantic white-sided dolphin, long-finned pilot whale.
Other wildlife seen: ocean sunfish.
Best time to go: May to September.
Whale-watching operator:
Captain John Whale Watching
For more photographs go to Restaurant for Whales

Long-finned pilot whales,
Cape Cod

Saturday 31 January 2004

Laguna Ojo de Liebre, Mexico

Cetacean species: grey whale, bottlenose dolphin.
Other wildlife seen: California sea lion, brown pelican, osprey.
Best time to go: January to March.

For more photographs go to Giant Giants in Mexico

Baby grey whale,
Laguna Ojo de Liebre

Saturday 6 September 2003

Monterey Bay, California

Cetacean species: orca, humpback whale, blue whale, fin whale, Pacific white-sided dolphin, Northern rightwhale dolphin, Dall's porpoise, Risso's dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise.
Other wildlife seen: sea otter, harbour seal, Northern elephant seal, California sea lion, ocean sunfish.
Best time to go: July to September for blue whales. January to March for grey whales.
Whale-watching operator: Monterey Bay Whale Watch

For more photographs go to Marine Mammals of Monterey Bay

Orca,
Monterey Bay

Tuesday 5 November 2002

Tysfjord, Norway

Cetacean species: orca.
Best time to go: was October to December, but orca sightings in Tysfjord are now much less frequent.

For more photographs go to Mammals of the Arctic

Orca,
Tysfjord

Friday 5 July 2002

Cardigan Bay, Wales

Cetacean species: bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise.
Best time to go: May to September.
Whale-watching operator: Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre

Saturday 1 June 2002

Saldanha Bay, South Africa

Cetacean species: Southern right whale, Heaviside's dolphin.
Other wildlife seen: Cape fur seal, Cape porcupine, Cape rock hyrax, springbok, yellow mongoose, African penguin.
Best time to go: July to November.
Note: the usual tourist 'hot spots' are Lambert's Bay and Hermanus, to the North and South of Saldanha respectively - I was in South Africa as a conservation volunteer rather than as a tourist.

For more photographs go to Gill Sinclair's Wildlife Blog

Southern right whale,
Saldanha Bay

Monday 2 July 2001

Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Iceland

Cetacean species: blue whale, minke whale, humpback whale, orca, white-beaked dolphin, harbour porpoise.
Best time to go: June to August.

For more photographs go to Land of Ice, Hot Water and Whales

Humpback whale,
Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Thursday 7 September 2000

Strait of Gibraltar (from Gibraltar)

Cetacean species: common dolphin, striped dolphin.
Other wildlife seen: Barbary macaque.
Best time to go: May to October.
Whale-watching operator: The Original Dolphin Safari

Wednesday 7 June 2000

Isle of Mull, Scotland

Cetacean species: harbour porpoise. Also good for minke whales if the weather is favourable (which it unfortunately wasn't!).
Other wildlife seen: harbour seal, European otter, red deer, Atlantic puffin.
Best time to go: May to September.

Whale-watching operator: Sea Life Surveys

Thursday 26 August 1999

Bay of Fundy, Canada

Cetacean species: Northern right whale, humpback whale, harbour porpoise.
Other wildlife seen: North American beaver, Eastern grey squirrel.
Best time to go: July to September.

For more photographs go to Wildlife of Canada's Maritimes



Northern right whale,
Bay of Fundy