Travel Adventure Stories Blog: Follow These Viewing Guidelines During Your Whale Watching Trip

By Gregory Sullivan


The breeze of the beach and its smell is what drives thousands of people to visit oceans. Not only that, some take pleasure in observing how marine animals live. Whale watching falls under activities tourists engage in when they visit shorelines, and you can read more about in travel adventure stories blog. Whales are endangered marine animals as such, the world is trying to keep them as safe as possible. They have established rules involving this activity which visitors should adhere to.

As a visitor, you are prohibited from trying to kill or harass whales, you are not even allowed to give them food. They should feel as comfortable as possible in their habitat during your visit, so avoid chasing them, even if you think you re playing with them. Don t make too much noise and never attempt to touch them. Your boat or vessel should be found free of anything that may be used to harm or capture the whales. The above-mentioned should be avoided at all costs unless if a permit has been granted.

There are signs they will project that will show you that you re making them uncomfortable. Tail slapping is one of them. Also, they might start to take a long diving or swim at an unpredictable speed and direction. Just stay on the lookout for any odd behavior, if you spot one then try to keep a greater distance between you and them.

There is an African proverb which says; a mother holds a knife by the blade, it simply means that a mother will do anything to protect her children even if it endangers her. If you try to separate a whale from its calves it will fight back, so don t attempt that and don t even go near them. Avoid littering because the trash can kill those endangered animals.

People who study marine animal lives do not know yet whether swimming with whales is saved or not. So do not try swimming with them hoping they won t harm you. You ll be putting both them and yourself at risk.

Making sure that they remain comfortable is the main priority. So your vessel should move at a predictable pace and direction at all times. Also, don t encircle them and make them feel like they have no escape, keep your distance from them. Don t chase them with your boat or overtake them. Leapfrogging may alarm them as well, so don t do it.

If you are lucky you might see them approaching your boat, slow down or go into a complete halt while enjoying your view and waiting for them to pass. Make sure that they are aware of your presence by leaving the engine on.

There are some unfortunate situations whereby people take a tour of the sea and come back without having seen the whales. It has been observed that they come to certain shorelines at certain seasons of the year. Visit at the right seasons to increase your chances of seeing them.




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