Maldives - The Very Best Tropical Whale And Dolphin Watching

Did you know that Maldives ranks among the top five places on Earth for watching whales and dolphins? Over 20 different species (a quarter of the world’s total) call the Maldives home. These range from the mighty Blue Whale (the largest animal alive) to the diminutive but highly acrobatic Spinner Dolphin.

Spinner Dolphins are the commonest species, and they occur here in their tens of thousands. They have a regular daily routine to their lives, feeding offshore at night, coming into the atolls in the early morning, and leaving again for the open ocean in the late afternoon. This dependable schedule means that it is very easy to find Spinner Dolphins at certain times every day. And as a result, many Maldivian resorts offer morning or afternoon dolphin excursions to see Spinners. While nothing with wildlife can be absolutely guaranteed, you will never have a better chance to watch wild dolphins playing in their natural environment than right here in the Maldives.

Alternatively, if you would like to see even more dolphins, and whales too, why not try a cruise on one of our many comfortable safari boats? Species that are regularly seen on special whale watching safaris include the Blue Whale, Sperm Whale and Pilot Whale as well as seven different types of dolphin (Spinner, Bottlenose, Risso’s, Spotted, Striped, Fraser’s and Rough-toothed). Maldivian specialities, which are frequently seen here but hardly ever anywhere else, include Dwarf Sperm Whale, Melon-headed Whale and Tropical Bottlenose Whale (long considered the rarest whale in the World, but now known to be a Maldives resident). You may also be lucky enough to spot a pod of magnificent Killer Whales (Orcas), which contrary to popular belief do not live only in cold waters.

You may not have realized this before, but with our unbeatable diversity and abundance of whales and dolphins, plus warm clear waters, Maldives really is one the very best places in the world for whale and dolphin watching.

Imagine the excitement of watching a great whale blowing, its powerful body surging through the water. If this is not enough how about a host of dolphins leaping from the sea in energetic bounds just a few feet in front to of you. If this appeals to you, then the Maldives has what you are looking for.

Over 20 different whale and dolphin species can be seen here. Compare this with the handful or less that are regularly seen at most other destinations and you will see why the Maldives is so attractive for whale and dolphin watchers. In addition to this great diversity of species, another great attraction of whale and dolphin watching in the Maldives is that it is so easy and comfortable. No problem with arctic winds here! There are very few other places where you can relax under tropical skies, watching giant whales swim past right in front of you.

The "Big Three" are the sperm whale, Bryde's whale and, biggest of them all, the blue whale. Pilot whales are particularly common, while other specialities include dwarf sperm whales and Cuvier's beaked whales. Melon-headed whales are commonest around the southern atolls, where they occur in enormous schools of 500 or more, and regularly bowride.

Among the dolphins, by far the most abundant, and the most acrobatic, is the spinner dolphin. Several other varieties, including Risso's dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, spotted dolphins and striped dolphins are also common.

If you are confused by all these names, don't worry. A whale and dolphin watching cruise in the Maldives, with an expert naturalist on board, will soon have you separating your false killer whales from your pygmy killer whales.

Spinner Dolphin, Maldives For many people the exquisite islands and coral reefs of the Maldives require little introduction. For once the holiday brochures do not need to exaggerate: these really are picture postcard islands, with swaying palm trees, white sand beaches and turquoise lagoons.

But the Maldives is also home to a particularly rich whale and dolphin fauna. We regularly see dolphins in their hundreds and thousands. Even more exciting is the great diversity of species found here: 23 species of whales and dolphins have now been recorded. Spinner Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Risso’s Dolphins and Short-fin Pilot

Whales are all abundant. Spotted Dolphins, Striped Dolphins and Dwarf Sperm Whales also occur in good numbers. Indeed, Maldives is probably the best place in the world to see most of these species. We do not see large numbers of big whales, but nevertheless we regularly have superb views of Sperm Whales, Blue Whales and Bryde’s Whales. In addition, Maldives has an international reputation for its beaked whales, and during the last year we have had wonderful views of Cuvier’s Beaked Whales, Dense-beaked Whales and the elusive Longman’s Beaked Whale, long considered the rarest whale in the world.

Typical itinerary:

Day 1. Arrival in Maldives. Arrive at Malé International Airport and transfer to liveaboard boat. Depart. With a little luck we can expect our first cetacean sighting while still in sight of the airport! Tonight, and every night we will anchor in a sheltered location within one of the atolls. Depending on anchoring time there may be time for a swim, snorkel or island visit. This first evening there will be an orientation talk, and most other evenings there will be a slide show or video.

Days 2-6. Whale and dolphin watching in the central atolls. Some mornings we will search out schools of spinner dolphins, at locations where we know they regularly occur. We will then head out of the atolls, in search of pilot whales, other whales, dolphins and seabirds. Each evening we will anchor in the lagoon of an atoll, and there should be some opportunities to swim, snorkel or visit an island. On at least one day we will visit sites where manta rays regularly congregate.

Day 7. Whale and dolphin watching off Malé Atoll. A final full day of whale and dolphin watching. Return to Malé. Farewell dinner and last night on board.

Day 8. Malé. After breakfast transfer to international terminal for departure.

What we see:

Cetaceans: Maldives is one of the very best places in the world to see an exciting range of tropical whales and dolphins. Delightful spinner dolphins are super-abundant, and on any trip you are likely to see anything 8 to 12 of these species:

* Spinner dolphin - Extremely abundant Unhihabited Island

* Risso’s dolphin - Abundant

* Common bottlenose dolphin - Abundant

* Indo-pacific bottlenose - Abundant

* Shortfin pilot whale - Abundant

* Dwarf sperm whale - Abundant Bryde's Whale, Maldives

* Pantropical spotted dolphin - Common

* Striped dolphin - Common

* Bryde’s whale - Common

* Cuvier’s beaked whale - Common

* False killer whale - Common

* Melon-headed whale - Common in south

* Fraser’s dolphin - Regular

* Blue whale - Regular

* Longman’s beaked - Regular

* Blainville’s beaked - Regular

* Sperm whale - Regular

* Killer whale - Present

* Rough-tooth dolphin - Present

Other Wildlife:

Maldives is rather poor on land birds, but has a good variety of seabirds. Terns, Tropicbirds, Frigatebirds, Shearwaters and Skuas are all present in numbers at different seasons. Green, Hawksbill and Olive Ridley Turtles are all regulars. But what makes a visit to the Maldives so memorable for many is the quality of the snorkelling, which is arguably some of the very best in the world. The warm clear waters hold an abundance of technicolor coral reef fishes; Manta Rays are common, and we also regularly see giant but harmless Whale Sharks.