French Polynesia · WHALE WATCHING

The 15 Best Whale Watching Tours in French Polynesia

27 tours  ·  from $128

Humpbacks calve in this water from roughly July to November and the boats carry small groups by law. These 15 are compared on island, hours at sea and price, with a note on which ones put you in the water and which keep you on deck.

Swimming with Whales in Moorea (Half Day tour) - The boat ride and first search
Moorea Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Whale Watching, Whale Watching in Moorea

Swimming with Whales in Moorea (Half Day tour)

1.Swimming with Whales in Moorea (Half Day tour)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 264 reviews · from $305Our pick

Join Moorea Expedition for a four-hour ocean trip from Moorea. From July through late November, the aim is to swim with humpback whales, though dolphins, stingrays, sharks, and turtles may appear too. Guides such as Johnny, Joe, and Laura provide safety instructions and marine-life insight. Strong swimming skills are required.

“It has been an awesome experience! We swam with whales, they danced in front of us and when we got back onto the boat we could see lots of whales from the boat too. Absolutely recommended”

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Whale Tour - Observe and swim with whales - What swimming with whales really demands
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Whale Tour – Observe and swim with whales

2.Whale Tour – Observe and swim with whales

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 257 reviews · from $270Top rated

Set out from Moorea with Enjoy Boat Tours for about four hours at sea. Guides such as Joaquin, Carlos, Tamuti, Ike, and Alfred have helped guests locate humpback whales, while the crew manages small in-water groups and adds lagoon snorkeling with stingrays and reef sharks.

“We had a beautiful experience, both tourguides tried their best to get our group close to the animals without pushing the limits and keeping in mind needful respect towards them. If you tend to get cold, ask for or bring your own wetsuit. Would go for it again.”

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Whale Watching Tours in Bora Bora - Leaving the lagoon for the open ocean
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Whale Watching Tours in Bora Bora

3.Whale Watching Tours in Bora Bora

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 250 reviews · from $305

Join Simon, Victor, or a Tohora team member for a 3.5-hour whale watching trip from Bora Bora. A directional hydrophone lets you hear humpback songs, and strong swimmers may enter the open ocean when conditions and whale behavior allow. You can also remain safely aboard.

“Wonderful excursion! So happy we got to see not only one whale, but several! Incredible experience and Simon was exceptional as a captain! Highly recommend!!”

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Swim with humpback whales - Cruising from the lagoon into open ocean
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Swim with humpback whales

4.Swim with humpback whales

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 224 reviews · from $264

Set out from Moorea at 8:30 a.m. with Corallina Tours for a three-hour whale swim, lagoon cruise, and ray and black-tip shark encounter. Guides such as Francesca, Tamahere, and Maui lead the outing in English and French. Expect open-water swimming, changing conditions, and no guaranteed whale swim.

“The boat, captain and snorkel guide were both very knowledgeable and friendly. The boat was extremely clean. And we were fortunate enough to see a mother humpback whale and her calf on our excursion. The stingrays and sharks were also a very memorable experience. I felt very safe with this company the entire time.”

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Humpback whale watching and marine life in Moorea - Searching the open water for humpbacks
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Humpback whale watching and marine life in Moorea

5.Humpback whale watching and marine life in Moorea

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 199 reviews · from $327

Set out from Moorea with Pacifik Attitude for about three hours of whale watching and marine-life encounters. Guides such as O’Neil, Doris, Mata, and Chewy explain whale behavior, use an underwater microphone, and lead careful swims when conditions allow. Children age five and up may join.

“We were able to observe one humpback and six dolphins on our trip out. O’Neil and Chewie were fantastic guides. What an incredible day.”

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Half day whale tour 4h00 - Why the small boat matters, and where it gets crowded
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Half day whale tour 4h00

6.Half day whale tour 4h00

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 181 reviews · from $191

Spend four hours off Moorea searching for humpback whales with guides such as Kevin and Mahai. From July to November, you may see mothers and calves and possibly enter the water, then visit the lagoon for snorkeling with reef sharks and rays. Swimming ability and calm seas matter.

“Well worth the price. They get right in there with the whales. Respectful to them and I’ve never seen them closer. Wow!! You do need to know how to swim and our day today was really rough waters but turned out beautifully with observing mother and baby several times.”

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Private tour observing and swimming with humpback whales in Moorea - The whale search from July through November
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Private tour observing and swimming with humpback whales in Moorea

7.Private tour observing and swimming with humpback whales in Moorea

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 126 reviews · from $1,640

Spend four hours aboard Mana Moorea Tours’ Mana’hau boat with a marine biologist and lifeguard guide. Visit Moorea’s bays, snorkel with rays, sharks, and turtles, and look for humpback whales from July to November. The private boat carries no more than eight people.

“Pick up was on time, the boat was exactly as pictured and our guides were so knowledgeable and accommodating. Would definitely recommend.”

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Respectful whale excursion to Tahiti in 4h30 - Searching offshore for Tahiti’s humpbacks
Tahiti Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Whale Watching, Whale Watching in Tahiti

Respectful whale excursion to Tahiti in 4h30

8.Respectful whale excursion to Tahiti in 4h30

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 123 reviews · from $222

Leave Papeete Marina at 7am or noon for a 4.5-hour whale trip with a maximum of 12 passengers. Guides such as Moana, Remi, Israel, and Bernardo may lead the search. Expect dolphins, humpbacks when present, local fruit, drinks, and lagoon snorkeling.

“My wife actually got to swim with a baby whale and its mother, only about 20ft away. This was an OMG experience for her. As I was not a strong swimmer, I stayed in the boat. The Boat captain, Moana, was very respectful of the whales and did not intimidate or attempt to get too close. The swimming group entered the water and swam about 100 yards towards the whales. The group leader, (I am sorry I forget his name but he was from Brazil) did a good job of helpinf the swimmers get close to the whales. Snorkle equipment was provided as were snacks of fruit, juice, water and…”

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Half Day Small Group Whale Watching - Humpback whales from August through November
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Half Day Small Group Whale Watching

9.Half Day Small Group Whale Watching

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 88 reviews · from $267

Meet at Coco Beach Restaurant for a four-hour whale-watching trip with a maximum of six people. Guides such as Mana and Johnny lead careful encounters with humpback whales, while the crew provides snorkeling gear, fruit, water, juice, and punch.

“We got to swim with an entire family of whales (mama, calf, and dad), not once but twice! It was truly a life changing experience! The crew was super knowledgeable. Our guide was both caring in terms of watching out for folks who wereRead more”

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Tahiti island: Whale watching Experience - Leaving from Tahiti’s main hotel areas
Tahiti Tours, Tour Reviews, Whale Watching, Whale Watching in Tahiti

Tahiti island: Whale watching Experience

10.Tahiti island: Whale watching Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 79 reviews · 5 hours · from $227

Join Tahiti by boat for a five-hour humpback whale trip from Tahiti’s main hotels. With up to 12 people aboard, guides such as Israel, Teva, and Moana explain the marine life, prepare you for open-water swimming, and provide fruit, drinks, and snorkeling gear. Whale encounters and entering the water depend on conditions.

“A superb afternoon out on the boat, seeing some absolutely amazing sights - the 3 humpback whales breaching right out of the water was incredible. Would highly recommend!”

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Whale watching and snorkelling in Moorea - What you may see from the boat
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Whale watching and snorkelling in Moorea

11.Whale watching and snorkelling in Moorea

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 64 reviews · from $230

Spend about four hours off Moorea with guide Ivy and captain Christoph, searching for humpback whales from a small boat. If sea conditions and whale behavior allow, confident swimmers aged 15 and older can enter the open ocean with an aquatic guide. Gear and drinks are provided.

“Wonderful experience. Seeing the whales, hearing their singing and swimming with them was a great emotion. Ivy is very sweet, nice, patient and attentive and Cristophe a great captain. I highly recommend the tour with them!Auto-translated”

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Whale watching in Moorea - Why the small boat matters
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Whale watching in Moorea

12.Whale watching in Moorea

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 58 reviews · from $194

Join Top Jet & Top Quad Moorea for a three-hour whale-watching trip from Temae, available July 20 to November 20. You may swim about 150 meters round trip near humpback whales, then snorkel in the lagoon with turtles, rays, blacktip sharks, and possibly dolphins. The boat carries up to 12 people.

“The whole trip was made so special by a fun crew And YES we did see whales as well as sharks - turtles and rays”

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Guided Small Group Whale Watching and Swim Tour Tahiti - How the possible whale swim works
Guided, Tahiti Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Whale Watching, Whale Watching in Tahiti

Guided Small Group Whale Watching and Swim Tour Tahiti

13.Guided Small Group Whale Watching and Swim Tour Tahiti

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 57 reviews · from $238

Join captain Michael and guide Teiki for a four-and-a-half-hour whale search from Papeete Marina, limited to six people. From July to November, you may watch humpbacks, snorkel with turtles, explore coral gardens and wrecks, and enter the sea only when conditions and whale behavior allow.

“What a dream ! We loved everything about this experience. The boat , the people , the view …. great vibes and very professional. We had the chance to dive with the whales, once in a life time moment. We recomend 100%”

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Moorea 4H Shared Boat Tour Whale Swimming and Snorkeling - The whale search from August through November
Cruises & Boat Tours, Snorkeling, Tour Reviews, Tours, Whale Watching

Moorea 4H Shared Boat Tour Whale Swimming and Snorkeling

14.Moorea 4H Shared Boat Tour Whale Swimming and Snorkeling

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 52 reviews · 4 hours · from $259

Join Captain Yannick and guides such as Clovis for a four-hour Moorea boat trip limited to six people. Between August and November, you may swim near humpback whales, then snorkel with stingrays, blacktip reef sharks, turtles, and tropical fish. Boat transfers, gear, fruit, and drinks are included.

“Despite not seeing any whales (end of the season), we saw lots of dolphins and our expert captain and his assistant Clovis took us to see lots of leopard rays and plenty of turtles! We had a wonderful morning and thoroughly recommend this tour!”

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WHALE TOUR - Watching and Swimming with Whales - How the whale search works
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WHALE TOUR – Watching and Swimming with Whales

15.WHALE TOUR – Watching and Swimming with Whales

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 52 reviews · from $327

Set out from Moorea with Temoana Tours for about four hours of whale watching and possible in-water encounters. Guides Henua and Nicolas, also called Nico, read the whales and sea before each launch. Pickup may be available, and groups are limited to six.

“Wonderful experience! It is a lot of waiting but absolutely worth it and one of the most amazing experiences we have had. The guide and captain were wonderful and very knowledgeable. We look forward to going again”

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