Humpback whale diving: where and when

Hemispheric migrations of up to 8,000+ km, from summer polar and sub-polar feeding grounds to winter tropical breeding and calving waters — Northern and Southern hemisphere seasons run opposite each other. 22 known encounter sites across 18 countries: Tonga, Dominican Republic, Australia, Madagascar, Mexico and USA (Hawaii) and others. Best single site: Vava'u, Tonga — very high reliability, peak aug-oct. No certification is required at the easiest sites — some are snorkel or freedive only.

Sites
22

18 countries

IUCN status
Least Concern
Min. certification
No certification
Typical depth
Surface–30 m

Every known humpback whale site

Other whale encounters

Beluga whale1Blue whale8Bryde's (Eden's) whale1Dwarf minke whale1Gray whale5Killer whale (orca)9Narwhal1Southern right whale4

Explore it on the globe

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