Swimming with Whales - Moorea

After seeing my first ever whale in the distance on a snorkelling trip in Hawaii (the Big Island), we became regular whale watchers, taking an annual boat excursion to see them. We've then since sought out Orca and gone swimming with Whale Sharks. While there, we discovered you could also swim with whales too, if you timed it right. Alas, we didn't.

The night snorkel with Manta Rays in Hawaii was one of the most indescribably amazing things I've ever done in my life. So when we realised we could snorkel with whales in Tahiti, we put that on the holiday list. 

You do need to be a good swimmer, it is rough and tiring. Our teen decided not to do it last minute, and I'll be honest, I was glad, just because I would have been worrying about her ability. There were some adults that didn't seem sufficiently up to the task. My teen would have been fine but I would have felt the need to watch her to be sure.  If you do decide to stay on the boat, you will still have a whale watching experience so it's not a waste. We did not have the weather on our side, and things get wet if left on the boat so don't take anything you don't need, and that can't get wet. 

Abandoned resort near pick up spot

We used Moorea Expedition, which I'd booked pretty much after booking the accommodation through Trip Advisor. I tried booking others but they were either full or rejected my booking,  I later discovered the Hilton had a tour that went from the resort, so if you are staying there, ask the hotel directly. My husband did that the next day, and said it was the same but less time spent in logistics. If booking through Trip Advisor, make sure you can get a pick up and return. Most of the boats ended up where our whales were eventually, so I am guessing the experience on all the boats is pretty similar, though I was very happy with ours.

We were picked up and taken to the boat. We spent about an hour finding the whales, and were then given an extensive safety talk, mainly about not scaring the whales, staying out of their way (for safety) and what to do if sharks appear - as you are outside the reef, they are not the good kind.

I will admit, I became a little scared (of the sharks attacking) and almost didn't want to go. I did, however, and as soon as I saw the magnificent creatures below us, all fear was forgotten.

There are not words to describe being so close to a mother and her baby as they shoot up out of the water. It is awe inspiring and astounding. I alas have no photos but you can follow the insta accounts of the tour agencies.

There really are no words to express how beautiful it was, and what a luxury to share a few hours in such proximity with such magnificent creatures. The amazement didn't stop for the duration of the time in the water.

The unforgettable moments were having to madly swim out of the way as the mother and calf decided to ascend what appeared to be directly under us, and then watching them breach just metres away (probably 20 but that feels very close). Watching the mother watch us from the depths, making sure we keep distance from her playful calf that was putting on a show at the surface was quite magical - we all mother in the same way, regardless of size, apparently. The sticking my head out of the water to watch the fluke splash from the surface view - it's above you and you get a real idea of the enormous size. Even writing those made me think of more, but without the footage I can't share the magic with you.

We left them in peace when some of the other boats had people creating too much splash and noise that was bad for the whales. We went back into the lagoon so that everyone, even the weaker swimmers, could swim with rays and reef sharks.

So if you bring kids, this is the part they can safely enjoy.

It is an unforgettable experience, which is good because I don't have an underwater camera so it's all in my memory. But what a breath taking experience to have had!

Practicalities:

Moorea Expedition

Hilton Lagoon Resort and Spa

Getting to Moorea - you can day trip to Moorea from Papeete but this might be hard to work with the whale watching times, and also if it gets cancelled due to bad weather, you will need to reschedule.

From Australia, you go back in time so arrive the day before, in most cases. Stay overnight in Papeete and then get a ferry to Moorea the next day. There are a number of ferry services. I booked my ferry transfers directly but I can't remember who I went with. It was easy though.

Further Reading:

Family Accommodation in the Honeymoon Isles 

Swimming with Sharks and Rays in Bora Bora 

Birds in Tahiti

Linking with #KeithsRamblings  #NaturesNotes #SaturdayCritters #WordlessWednesday  #SeniorSalonPitstop 

The one photo I have of a whale was this one from the resort beach as all the other times I was in the water and just living the moment. Sadly just a bit of the spout.