Whale Tour - Observe and swim with whales
Overview
Available languages
4 hours
Mobile ticket
Each year, several marine mammals, including humpback whales, migrate to the Pacific Ocean and especially to French Polynesia. It is one of the only destinations in the world where they can be observed in their natural environment. This is a unique opportunity to admire them. Join us and live the experience of your life!
This year the approach rules limit the number of people in the water to preserve and respect animals. The maximum number allowed in the water is 7 including the guide. We will organize 2 groups. Our guide only permits the release of animals when it is determined that weather conditions and animal behaviour are favourable. This activity can be quite physically demanding and requires knowledge of swimming and effective use of snorkeling, fins, mask and snorkelling equipment.
People with motion sickness can be sick at sea. We advise you to take precautions before the tour.
Additional Info
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness
We ask you to be physically fit and comfortable swimming in the big blue in the open ocean.
Launching is not obligatory, you can observe them from the boat.
People with motion sickness can become ill at sea. We advise you to take precautions
From 12 years and over
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Private transportation
Dry compartment
Bottled water
flotation device
Use of Snorkelling equipment
Towels, sunscreen
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
What To Expect
Moorea
Humpback whales, narrow-beaked dolphins, reef sharks and deep-sea sharks are the species most observed during sea trips. You can swim with whales and other species while respecting safety distances and respecting taking into account their behavior, their rest and the weather.
Moorea
This experience also includes snorkeling in the lagoon with stingrays and reef sharks.
Options
Full day with lunch
Duration: 6 hours: The tour begins with research and observation of cetaceans. And ends in the lagoon with lunch on an islet.
Lunch: Grill (chicken, fish), Rice salad, Local specialty, Local fruit, drinks (water, juice, beer, punch)
Pickup included
Whale tour - Half day
Duration: 4 hours
Pickup included
Reviews
242 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
A unique experience!
Judith K,
Aug 20, 2025
- Viator
5.00It’s weather dependent but a wonderful experience if the waves arent active! There is no better way to get close to the humpback whales.
Be smarter than me and really research the French Polynesian Islands
Lisa W,
Aug 11, 2025
- Viator
1.00DO NOT BOOK THIS IF YOU ARE STAYING IN TAHITI. We told them over a month ago when we booked it that we are coming from the Tahiti Hilton. They waited until 22 hours before the tour (just past the time when we could've canceled) to text us that we won't be able to get back to Tahiti. They wrote that they noticed we weren't on the island of Mo'orea and that the ferries end at 5:15 and they won't be able to get us back to the docks before then. They offered to boat us back to Tahiti for the low price of an additional $1,500. We decided to cut our losses at $500 instead of $2,000. I'm sure the whale tour would've been amazing but we would've been stranded on the island. We looked at staying a night on Mo'orea but with less than a day to book a room, there wasn't anything available. We had never been to the French Polynesia and didn't know it wasn't easy getting from one island to the other. It's important to understand (which I clearly didn't) that the ferry schedule is very limited and it's impossible to get back after 5pm. We did attempt to ferry over to Mo'orea in the morning and we were going to find a fisherman to boat us back as we heard they will do it for $300 to $500 depending but our cell phones didn't work over there. It was a very stressful situation where we wasted a day and money on a ferry just to turn around and come back. We were only in Tahiti for 4 nights and it was precious time wasted for nothing but a loss of over $600 with taxis and ferries. I hope this helps someone else avoid wasting money and time on vacation.
Amazing whale sighting but challenging conditions
Cameron K,
Aug 10, 2025
- Viator
3.00This was quite an adventure! The tour operators are clearly dedicated to ensuring everyone sees whales, which is great. The water was extremely choppy and we spotted a couple of sharks. While the guide emphasized staying together for safety to avoid sharks, once we entered the water, he swam so quickly that the group spread out and there weren't regular check-ins to make sure we were all together. Even as a regular and strong swimmer, I found the rough conditions challenging and a bit scary to try to keep up. We absolutely achieved the main goal of seeing whales, which made it worthwhile! However, I might explore other tour options that better match my comfort level with group safety.
Great whale tour!
Kandy P,
Jul 31, 2025
- Viator
5.00This experience was amazing! The crew Amo, Joaquin and Mankato were all very nice and knowledgable. The guide/photographer Joaquin was an excellent guide and answered all of our questions. The captain of the boat and shuttle driver Amo was extremely nice and knowledgeable! He made us feel welcomed and answered all of our questions. His son, Mankato was also very helpful in the water. The experience of swimming with whales is extremely humbling and our crew did their best to make sure we were able to experience that. We loved being able to focus all of our attention on the whales while in the water with them and not having to worry about taking our own photos/ videos due to Joaquin taking great videos and photos for us at an additional charge which was definitely worth it! It should be noted that you aren’t guaranteed to see whales, but thankfully we were able to see approximately 8 whales! The respect for the whales and their environment was noticeable as well. Boats are required to stay 100 meters away from the whales when they are seen. This requires those who wish to swim with whales to be strong swimmers. You have the option to add lunch to this excursion and we did! Lunch was amazing! Great food and great views! Highly recommend this excursion! Great experience from start to finish! Wet suits, snorkeling gear and fins are required and if you don’t have your own they have some you can use! This tour was amazing and I highly recommend booking it!
Amazing encounter, super lucky at the end of the season!
Rebecca R,
Nov 10, 2024
- Viator
5.00Wow, what an incredible experience! Really surreal. With only a few days left in the season, there was a good chance we weren't going to see any whales but we got super lucky in seeing a mother and calf not once, but twice! The first time she was sleeping so there were a lot of other people there from other tours. But we kept an eye on her after we got back in the boat and we were lucky enough to see them passing by, just our group. Being a strong swimmer is a MUST as the group will not be going at the pace of the slowest person and the boat can't go too close to the whales to pick you up. We typically swam 200-300 meters there and back to see the whales, and we went in three times.
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