What is Dolphin and Whale watching?

Download Dolphin and Whale Watching Operators List

Experience close encounters with specific whale and dolphin communities.

This booming global industry attracts millions yearly to observe these magnificent animals in their natural habitat, supporting local tourism and coastal communities.

Where are the best places for dolphin & whale watching?

Top Dolphin and Whale Tour Destinations:

1. Vancouver Island, Canada’s Pacific coast
2. Scottish coast, especially the River Spey
3. Hong Kong Harbour, home to unique pink dolphins

Meris Research

The “Associazione Me.Ri.S. Mediterraneo Ricerca e Sviluppo” is a non-profit organisation for the protection of marine mammals and their environment. It is engaged in research activities in the Sicily Channel (Mediterranean Sea), carrying out studies aimed at protecting cetaceans and at quantifying and reducing anthropogenic impacts. It promotes educational activities and scientific training through research expeditions, training courses, internships and university theses.

Dr. Jessica Alessi, Founder and Director: “The collaboration with Friend of the Sea is an added value for the activities carried out by Me.Ri.S., together we have created a certification specifically thought for the Scientific Research on cetaceans, conducted in a responsible and sustainable way. We at Me.Ri.S., believe that the well-being of dolphins comes first, with the Sustainability standard of FOS we can prove it to the participants of our activities.”

C.E. S.R.A.M

CE.S.R.A.M. is a non-profit association founded in November 2010. Based in Calabria, Italy, they pursue goals of social utility in the field of protection and enhancement of nature in general, and of the marine environment in particular. The organization’s aim is to promote study, research and scientific dissemination. It operates in Italy and abroad, collaborating with other bodies, associations, groups and companies who are pursuing similar interests.

Dr. Maria Assunta Menniti, Founder and Director: “Studying and seeing dolphins in nature is wonderful, but it is even more beautiful if all this is done in a sustainable and responsible way, respecting the individual balances. All the staff of CE.S.R.A.M. is proud to have partnered with Friend of the Sea! Together we can…Always!”

Delfini del Ponente

‘Delfini del Ponente’ was developed by biologists and naturalists from the Costa Balenae Cooperative and Delfini del Ponente researchers in Imperia,Italy in 2018. The project seeks to discover the causes of an increase in the number of sightings of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Western Liguria Sea, not considered among ideal habitats for this species, that prefers shallow and sandy waters.

“This is a very great collaboration and opportunity to create a group of people aiming for the conservation and protection of the marine environment. We are really proud to be certified by the FOS for our activities and we are all looking forward to working with you.”, said Davide Ascheri, responsible and coordinator of the project.

Mare Camp

MareCamp is a non-profit volunteer association created for sea lovers. With the project “Dolphin watching and Conservation in the gulf of Catania” it is the promoter of eco-tourism, education and research activities on cetaceans. It aims at social inclusion and respect for the marine-coastal environment and can count among its members both federal instructors and marine biologists with multi-year experience. The association uses the proceeds of its activities to offer free experiences at sea to less fortunate children and to support the research on whales and dolphins of the Sicilian waters.

Dr. Clara Monaco, Scientific Director of MareCamp: “Cooperate with Friend of the Sea in the tourism sphere has given a surplus value to our outreach and citizen science programs on the conservation of cetaceans. Being certified is an important recognition of our scientific monitoring activity, where each sighting is conducted responsibly”.

R & E Ocean Community Conservation

The R&E Ocean Community Conservation Foundation‘s mission is to research, preserve and care for vulnerable marine environments and their species. The programmes being developed jointly by Friend of the Sea and R&E will enable scientists, eco-tourists, students and volunteers to observe humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) and rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) in the water of Columbia from mid-June to mid-October.

“R&E Ocean Community Conservation is very happy to partner with Friend of the Sea.” said Ann Carole Vallejo, Executive Director and Lead Researcher “We hope to develop and achieve together responsible and Sustainable community-oriented whale watching in Choco, Colombia. With  this framework we would like to encourage the conservation and management for human interactions with marine mammals.“

DiveCircle

DiveCircle is an online platform that offers a wide range of trips for divers, snorkelers and whale watchers. DiveCircle’s Eco Trips take place in a variety of exotic locales around the world. They are offering manta ray watching experiences in Egypt, Baja California and Maldives. Whale shark watching expeditions are available in Mexico, Tanzania (Mafia Island) and Madagascar. Cetacean dive trips, which include dolphin and whale watching, are offered in a similar range of destinations.

“In DiveCircle we are all divers and we love the sea. Therefore, we believe that the sea and its inhabitants should be defended.” said Massimiliano Miglio, Founder and Director of DiveCircle.

Friend of the Sea has created, in collaboration with DiveCircle, eco-friendly travel packages for divers and non-divers to interact with manta rays, whale sharks, sea turtles and to go dolphin and whale watching.

Worldrise

Worldrise is an ONLUS created by young people for young people. It develops projects to conserve and safeguard the marine environment, which are based on awareness-raising, creativity and education.

Friend of the Sea collaborates with Wordrise in the project “The Gulf of Dolphins”, which promotes the spread of Sustainable tourism culture in Golfo Aranci (Sardinia), through awareness & educational activities.

Mariasole Bianco, Founder and Director of Worldrise: “The collaboration with FOS represents the added value of this project. Together we have created a certification for responsible and Sustainable dolphin sighting and the possibility for hundreds of tourists to make the best choice by identifying operators that guarantee quality, education and respect for the environment and its resources.”

Swiss Cetacean Society – SCS

The Swiss Cetacean Society (SCS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving marine mammals in their natural habitat. SCS believes that improved scientific understanding of these animals and their environment is crucial for effective protection measures. To achieve this goal, SCS shares general information about marine mammals with the Swiss public, promotes access to specialised training, and coordinates logistical support for scientific and environmental programs abroad. Through its expertise in logistics, SCS has facilitated scientific research aimed at safeguarding marine mammals over the years.

Friend of the Sea works closely with SCS on its new Awareness Campaign in India.

“We believe that the work carried out by Friend of the Sea is very important for the conservation of the oceans, in particular their certification programme for Sustainable whale watching and other marine-related services. This is largely why we wanted to partner with this organisation.” Ivan Martin – project manager and naturalist guide at Swiss Cetacean Society-SCS.