Swim-with-whales tourism–a preliminary review of commercial operations

Abstract

As a first step toward conducting a larger, in-depth review of the practice and impact of swimming with large whales, a review of commercial operations offering opportunities to swim with whales worldwide was conducted. Several web searches were conducted and a general request for information was sent to an international email list and to colleagues in areas where swim-with-whale tours were suspected of operating. Twenty-nine commercial operations offering formal swims with whales and a smaller number of opportunistic swims were identified worldwide, for a total of 38 operations. Swims with humpback and minke whales were found most frequently, although other baleen whales were also targeted; a small number of operators offered swims with toothed whales. Silver Bank in the Dominican Republic (humpbacks) had at least six companies operating tours; Tonga (humpbacks) had at least eight operators; and the Great Barrier Reef (minkes) had at least six operators. The web sites of several of the operations contained text addressing precautionary elements such as following swim and approach guidelines, human safety and conservation; however, most did not or they emphasized human safety only. Areas with the greatest number of operations featured warm, clear water (i.e., good visibility); baleen whale mating and calving grounds were thus most often targeted. Swim-with-whale operations occurred both in the presence and absence of domestic legislation prohibiting whale disturbance and even, in at least two cases (Argentina and the Azores), specifically prohibiting swimming