Humpback whale
Swimming, Snorkeling and Diving to See and Observe the Humpback whale
The humpback whale is recognizable by its completely black top and its almost white belly. It has a caudal fin that can reach up to one-third of the body's size, much larger than most cetaceans.
Adults can reach a length of 17 m and a weight of 23 tons. Humpback whales can dive to a depth of 200 m. It can remain at this depth for 10 to 40 minutes. It can live for 40 years. It can swim at speeds of 8km/h. Its skin is often infested with seashells. Heavy metals have been found in their tissue. Its predators are the man and killer whales as well as sharks big enough to attack the calves. Migrations do not occur in the same period in both hemispheres, so the whales from the north and from the south never meet, which explains the morphological differences.
It only sings during the mating period, it emits low tones that vary in frequency and amplitude, and this for hours or even days! It is a great moment of emotion to have the chance to listen to this song of seduction.
CHECK SEASONALITY
Megaptera novaeangliae
Wide angle
Baleine à bosse, Mégaptère, Jubarte, Rorqual à bosse, Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae
Food
Humpback whales have baleens instead of teeth. Baleens look like giant brushes lodged in their jaw. They drain the water and collect the zooplankton. The humpback whale feeds on herring, capelins, mackerels and planktonic crustaceans called krill. It follows the schools of krill in cold waters. It migrates northward in the summer. In winter, it swims southwards to give birth in warm waters favorable to the growth of the calves. They team up and create a bubble net by blowing through their blowhole on the top of their heads. They open their mouth vertically and swim to the surface to catch their prey.
Breeding
At the age of four, it reaches a length of twelve meters and sexual maturity. Mating takes place in tropical warm waters of both hemispheres. The males compete to win the favors of the females, which gives way to violent fights, amazing acrobatics, and beautiful songs. Mating and parturition take place between December and April in the northern hemisphere, and between June and September in the southern hemisphere. The gestation period lasts eleven months. The calf is four meters long at birth and weighs a ton and a half. At the end of the lactation period, it reaches a length of 9 m. Females give birth to only one calf every two years.
Dive centers
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Pro Dive Port Elisabeth
South Africa
- Port Elisabeth
Pro dive is located in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. They offer PADI training, routing to Sardine Run and its whirlwind of Dolphins, Whales, Sharks and birds in season as well as daily excursions with Seals and Penguins. Dive boats leave from Hobie Beach. On site, equipment rental including 5mm-thick suits, 2 pieces with hood, an Air and Nitrox filling station. Hot showers. Team of English speaking instructors and guides. Easy and quick access to the many dive sites in Algoa Bay. The first dive site is a 5 minutes’ boat ride from Hobie Beach with a maximum depth of 18 m, ideal for beginner divers. Wide variety of dive sites between Nelson Mandela Bay, Algoa Bay and its archipelago of islands. Pinnacles, deep gullies. Possibility to leave from the shore too. Especially from November to April, dives at Raggie Sands, an impressive labyrinth of ravines frequented by Raggie Sharks. Up to 40 specimens seen in a single dive, in their natural habitat, without bait or cages. The Spotted Ragged Tooth Shark is also known as Gray Nurse Shark, or Sand Tiger Shark or Raggie's. Special mention also to the site Shy Shark Reef from 6 to 17 m. On the reefs and wrecks, allow diving between 6 to 40m with a visibility from 1 to 20 m. To see: the Orange Wall, inside Nelson Mandela Bay, with orange wall covered with Spirastella Sponges. Algoa Bay is on the migration route for Humpback Whales, Southern Right Whales, Dolphins, Seals and Penguins. Nice encounters to look forward to ! Accommodation at the Courtyard on the waterfront, a short walk from the dive Center. 10 mn from the airport. Possible airport transfers on request. [+]
- Raggies Sharks watching
- PADI 5 star Career Development Centre
- Shy Shark Watching
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Cetacean Watching Lda
Azores
- Madalena
  
Cetacean Watching Lda is located in Madalena, on Pico Island, Azores. It is located 20 m from the boats, in the center of the marina. Open from March to October, Cetacean Watching Lda offers changing rooms, equipment storage, a classroom, showers, and toilets. Equipment rental is available. Cetacean Watching Lda organizes a package for you to stay with or without diving to see dolphins and/or whales, including 7 nights in a double room in Bed&Breakfast, 3 Whale Watching trips, 1 guided land tour to the lookout, 1 guided tour to Malcolm Clarke's Sperm whale and Squids' Museum and transfers to the airport It is best to stay 7 nights in Pico.
Embark from early June to mid-July, on semi-rigid boats from 8 to 24 pax, to observe the sociable behavior of sperm whales and swim with dolphins. The aluminum boat of Cetacean Watching Lda is used for scuba diving. About 20 species of cetaceans pass through Pico, in the center of the Azores, with a 97% success rate in observing them.
In July and August, the sea trip lasts 3 hours, and includes 2 to 3 snorkeling dives. You swim with bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic spotted dolphins, common dolphins, Risso's dolphins, striped dolphins. From July to mid-October, trips are organized, depending on the weather, to Princess Alice with a departure at 7 am for a 2h30 trip. This shoal rising from 1,000 meters to 35 meters below the surface, 45 nautical miles from Pico, allows beautiful encounters with Mobula tarapacana, Manta birostris, tunas, barracudas, and sharks. Due to strong currents, you descend along a line. Snorkeling is possible because the rays come up to the surface! [+]
- Whale Watching
- Dolphin watching
- Manta Rays Watching
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Ti'bulles
Guadeloupe
- Grand-Bourg
The Ti'bulles diving centre is located in Grand-bourg, on the island of Marie-Galante, in Guadeloupe, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. One side of Marie Galante has swells and currents, and the other side allows for easier launching. The Caribbean fauna and flora varies from shrimp, spider crabs and Caribbean coins to rays, barracudas, platax, agoutis, and turtles. You can even hear the whales singing underwater during the whale-watching season.
This Ti'bles training centre offers first dives. Embark on this unique adventure full of new sensations, accompanied by a French state-qualified instructor.
Did you like this experience? Take an ANMP certification, from level 1 to level 3 or an SSI diploma, Scuba diver or an exciting diving speciality. Marie Galante's ten or so dive spots, accessible to beginners to the most experienced, allow for both quiet and deep drift dives, in compliance with regulations and safety. Explore even a small wreck in the middle of a multitude of reef fish. At Ti'Bulles, you benefit from a simple service, with a different way of diving, whether as a V.I.P., with family or friends. Marie-Galante, the island of a hundred mills, is an authentic and charming island, which also invites you to relax, far from mass tourism.
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- Between 10 and 20 dive sites
- fast boat
- Eco responsable
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African Dive Adventures
South Africa
- Margate
 
African Dive Adventures is located in the port of Shelly Beach, KwaZulu Natal, along the east coast of South Africa. Opportunity to dive on Protea Banks, worldwide-known reef for shark diving. Small shop for meeting call at 6:45 am. Then the equipped divers embark on the 3 semi-rigid boats both propelled by two 85 HP Yamaha outboard engines, 10 per boat. Diving briefing before visiting the Protea Banks by experienced and certified SAMSA guides and skippers (South African Maritime Safety Authority). Thorough information on how to interact with Sharks. Pedagogical explanations for eco-tourism. Very invested in the preservation of Protea Banks, coastal reefs and animals such as Sharks, Dolphins and Whales. With the mission to offer every diver the best diving experience on the Banks of Protea.
The boats such as the Black Pearl, the Southern Comfort, the Protea Banks and the Avatar have speed and power to navigate safely in a rough sea. Whenever one of these boats leaves the port, it is entirely refueled at sea for a greater autonomy.
This is especially important on the Sardine Run when divers are on the boat all day far from the coast. It's also nice to have space on the boat to organize Tiger Shark diving and store baits and cables on the deck. Divers can lie down, stack waterproof bags, towels. Snacks on board.
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- Sardine Run
- Raggies Sharks watching
- fast boat
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Ankermi Happy Dive
Indonesia
- Maumere

Ankermi-Happy Dive Resort has located 29 km from the town center of Maumere, east of the island of Flores, 500 km from Labuan Bajo and the Komodo Islands. Founded by Kermi, of Javanese origin, and Claudia, a Swiss, this dive resort is located on the beachfront, surrounded by a rice field, banana trees, coconut palms, and a bamboo forest. It has 24 hours of electricity, so you have plenty of time to charge your camera batteries.
The infrastructure is comfortable with a room to store equipment neatly, a large classroom, a library corner. The dives, suitable for beginner or intermediate divers, are varied with muck dives ideal for discovering rare and strange creatures living in the sand and mud such as frogfish, nudibranchs, Ambon scorpions, and mimic octopus. A Japanese shipwreck dating from the Second World War is nearby.
Early in the morning, board the 9m long wooden fishing boats for an hour trip to Pulau Babi, Besar, and Pangabatang to explore drop-offs covered with hard and soft corals and small passes around the islands. The resort's resident captain knows exactly where the dive sites are, where the divers are going to go out at the end of the dive, and how to help them with the equipment. For safety reasons, the current is checked before diving. The dives are no-decompression dives. There is no time limit imposed, only the air consumption of the participant's counts. You have the possibility to dive at the resort even if you don't stay overnight. [+]
- Distance to House Reef 30 to 50 m
- Diving around Islands
- Whale Watching
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Where to see, swim, and dive with Humpback whale ?
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