Top 10 Best Whale Watching Spots

Southern right whales calve just metres from shore in Walker Bay from June to December, making Hermanus one of the few places on Earth where world-class whale watching requires no boat at all.

A deep submarine canyon funnels nutrient-rich water close to shore, attracting humpbacks, blue whales, gray whales, and orcas throughout different seasons in one of America's richest marine sanctuaries.

A UNESCO site where southern right whales gather in sheltered bays to breed and calve from June to December, with orcas famously beaching themselves to hunt sea lion pups on the shore.

Resident sperm whales can be seen year-round where the continental shelf drops dramatically close to shore, alongside dusky dolphins, New Zealand fur seals, and seasonal humpback migrations.

Gray whales migrate 10,000 kilometres from Alaska to calve in the warm lagoons of San Ignacio and Magdalena Bay, where curious mothers push their calves toward tourist boats for astonishingly close encounters.

Enormous herring shoals draw hundreds of humpback and orca whales into the fjords near Tromsø from November to January, creating dramatic feeding spectacles under the dancing northern lights.

The waters off Sri Lanka's southern coast host the highest density of blue whales in the world from November to April, with sperm whales and spinner dolphins frequently spotted on the same trips.

Over 10,000 humpback whales migrate to the warm shallow waters between Maui and Lana'i each winter to breed and calve, with breaching displays visible from shore throughout the season.

Where the Saguenay Fjord meets the St. Lawrence River, cold nutrient-rich currents attract belugas, minke whales, fin whales, and the occasional blue whale to one of the world's best freshwater-marine convergence zones.