I honestly have no words to describe what it’s like to be in the water with these majestic beings, what it’s like to hear the vibrations in the water while the whales are singing, or how exciting it is to see a baby whale just playing around. Swimming with whales in Mo’orea was definitely one of the best experiences of my life.
This post is a year in the making—I went to Mo’orea at the end of September 2024. I should have written it months ago, but I hadn’t been writing much then. Here it is now, and I hope it conveys just how magical this experience was. I am working on editing the video to have a more visual representation, excuse my lack of video editing skills!
If you don’t have going to Mo’orea for whale season on your travel bucket list, I know that reading about it, and seeing the photos and videos will inspire you to add it!
Key Takeaways and FAQ
Is it Worth it to Go to Mo’orea to Swim with Whales?
YES! It has been the best experience of my life. It was awe inspiring and I cried happy tears.
Can You Swim with Whales in French Polynesia?
Yes, though there are strict regulations of when and how to swim with whales in Moorea. In water whale activities are only permitted from July 20 to November 20, but these are subject to change every year. The government limits the number of boats and number of guests that can swim with a whale at a time.
Is it Safe to Swim with Whales?
Yes, if you follow all the rules, swimming with whales in Mo’orea is safe. Remember to keep your distance and listen to your guides. Never turn your back to any marine animal or chase after them.
Do I Need to Know How to Swim to Swim with Whales?
While you don’t need to be the best swimmer to swim with whales, knowing how to swim is always necessary when doing water activities. Tour operators can accommodate for different swim levels and help you in the water. It is still an activity that requires some level of fitness to be able to stay in the water comfortably and enjoy the whales.
What is the Best Time to Swim with Whales in Mo’orea?
Mo’orea whale season is from July to November. During this time, humpback whales migrate to the warm Polynesian waters where they breed, give birth, and nurse their young.
When Should I Book My Mo’orea Whale Tour?
January and February as the expedition slots sell out months ahead of the August to October peak season.
What Should I Pack for my Mo’orea Whale Tour?
Bring your snorkeling gear: mask, snorkel, fins, weights and weight belt. If you don’t have gear, your tour company could provide it for you. Pack a thin rain coat for rainy days, and reef safe sunscreen, sunglasses, hat and a sun-shirt to protect from the sun. Bring a small backpack, preferably waterproof, to bring snacks, towel and other essentials for long days on the boat. Bring bug spray for evenings on the island and seasickness medication if you need it.
Don’t forget to bring your underwater camera or hire an amazing photographer with your tour! While most places take credit card, having local cash is always a plus. Also the bills are beautiful and I kept a couple as a souvenir.
How Long Can a Humpback Whale Hold its Breath?
Whales can hold their breath from 5-30 minutes! Some adult whales can even hold their breath for 40 minutes, but calves, or baby humpback whales, usually hold them for much less, about 5 minutes.
2025 Mo’orea Whale Season Rules
▪️Only 6 guests are allowed per tour and only 3 boats per whale.
▪️The boat cannot get closer than 100m or 150m for mom and calf. This means you have to swim, a lot, to get to the whales.
▪️No freediving, no chasing or swimming after the humpback whales. Stay with your group and guide.
▪️Flotation required unless wearing a 3mm wetsuit.
Swimming with Whales Video
My Experience Swimming with Whales in Mo’orea
I found out about the whales in Mo’orea when an amazing photographer, Josh Munoz, kept posting photos and videos. He later organized a Mo’orea whale excursion that I immediately signed up for.
I originally tried to get my dad to come with me, but for him planning almost a year ahead of the trip was impossible. Josh organized a one week Mo’orea excursion, where 7 lucky of us would stay in a rental house together for 6 nights and do 5 full days of whale excursions.
This trip is not for someone who is not passionate about the ocean as we were on a boat for 7 hours every day! If that sounds like a lot, a normal whale tour of half a day or just one or two days would be enough.
I couldn’t get enough and would have stayed a whole month of just swimming with whales every day for hours on end!
Getting to Mo’orea
It was a whole odyssey to get to Mo’orea. I was already in Rome so I flew from Rome to Houston and, after two days, flew from Houston to Papeete in Tahiti island. There are direct flights from San Francisco and Hawaii to Papeete. These arrive at night so I had to get a hotel for Saturday night.
I hadn’t booked my hotel in advance, and so by the time I tried getting a room in the hotels near the ferry terminal, there were none left. I ended up getting an Airbnb close by. It was definitely interesting to steer away from the more touristy areas, but I always felt safe in the island, even lugging a heavy suitcase by myself.
On Sunday, I took an early Mo’orea ferry where I got to see whales during the crossing. I got a little taste of the incredible days that were waiting ahead.
I met the rest of the group outside the ferry while waiting for our taxi. It was nice meeting the people who were going to be my roommates for the next week.
Housing in Mo’orea as a Solo Woman in an Excursion
I was the only solo female in the group, as the other woman was there with her husband. I hadn’t even thought to ask about rooming when I booked the trip but, thankfully, I got a nice little single room. Josh chose the group well. It was not only a fun group to be with, but it was also a group that never made me feel unsafe as a solo female traveler.
The house was gorgeous. A big master bedroom with bathroom, an upstairs open bedroom, and two small bedrooms in the outside area. We had two shared full bathrooms. The best part was that we were swimming distance to the famous Mo’orea lagoon.
That Sunday, after the ferry, we all went to the lagoon to see the black tip reef sharks and rays. The Mo’orea lagoon is this area close to shore that is shallow enough to stand in and is known for the rays and sharks. Some rays would get so close you could feel them try to nibble on you. They don’t hurt, but it feels funny and it tickles.
Mo’orea Moana: Responsible Whale Tours
Our days started early with a 6:30 am pick up by our captain, Natua, and local guide, Mata, right from our yard. The company Josh booked our weeklong humpback whale tour was with Mo’orea Moana Tours. They were wonderful, with very knowledgeable guides, always respected regulations and the whales, and made sure the tour was a very responsible whale tour in Mo’orea.
While we got to see whales every day, there were days where we had a lot of waiting and trying to find whales we could swim with. I managed to do lots of reading on the boat and we even got to do some freediving on quieter mornings.
The tour included some delicious lunch and snacks, as well as water. Our captain and guide were amazing, always professional but also fun to be around. Natua would play amazing Polynesian music that I fell in love with and now play regularly!
We also got our instructions: we had to put on our gear when they told us and sit on the edge with our legs over the side, ready to jump it. Then as soon as we got the signal to get in the water we had to swim towards the whales, keep a safe distance, do not swim after the whales or submerge, stay as a group. If we go the signal our guides saw a shark we needed to come together in a tight ball, be completely vertical with no splashing, and use a camera, GoPro or fins to keep the sharks at a distance if necessary.
We did have a very annoying tourist in another group who would free dive and then turn its back to the whale to take a photo. You never turn your back on wild animals and, not only is it dangerous, but it could potentially ruin the privilege of swimming with whales if anything happened. Don’t be this person.
Underwater Photography Lessons
Every night, Josh would sit down with us and download photos. He taught the group how to edit underwater photos to correct for the lack of color that penetrates water that creates that extra blue tinge. I only had a GoPro and no cool underwater photography set-up, so I just sat and listened.
It makes me look at the world with a little more hope when I see amazing professionals helping others. Josh was not only amazing at his job as our host and underwater photographer, but he’s also an amazing human. I am so happy I chose his Mo’orea whale excursion. It was perfectly organized, he chose an amazing whale tour company, and is also an amazing cook! Oh, and we also got some absolutely insane whale photos.
Check out more of Josh Munoz’ work!
Swimming with Whales
On Monday, the anticipation was killing me. I think our whole group was eager and ready even before they told us to gear up. I might have been anxiously looking around. But finally, we were told to get ready!
On our first swim, I finally heard whales singing! I had only heard them from a boat or from a documentary, never while swimming.
You have no idea what it’s like to feel the vibrations going through your whole body, the incredible rush of emotions as you hear and feel the whales sing. That first sighting was a mom and baby. The baby coming up for air regularly while the singing mom stayed deeper under the surface.
We probably stayed in the water for almost an hour just watching the baby whale play on the surface while mama slept. On our second swim that day we saw a whale run. This is when male whales pursue a female whales to try to mate with her. In this case, the female had a baby so she wasn’t looking to mate, and they swam right by us.
Later that day we got a super playful baby! It is so cool to see a baby whale, that is still huge, twirling and showing off to the human onlookers. The baby kept getting close to us, at times we had to swim away to give it space.
By the end of that day’s excursion, we were about to give up until our captain turned off the boat and we could hear a whale singing. We had accidentally stopped on top of a whale. Our boat moved but we got in the water and the whale was so deep we couldn’t see it. Josh dove to try to see if he could find the whale but the whale surprised him by surfacing above him!
Just on that first day we had so many amazing encounters.
I think I called my parents to tell them they needed to do this, that this was the best experience of my life, and it was just getting started!
The next day, we saw some more babies with their mamas. The day was slow for swimming with whales, but we were able to visit a very beautiful coral and explore. I also got a horrible sun burn on my legs! I always try to use the least amount of sunblock and only reef safe sunblock . After that, I also used my towel to cover from the sun.
On our third day, we had a super playful baby! There’s a video of me moving away as the baby swims under me and two of my group, separating us. The whale was having so much fun just swimming and twirling around us.
Staring straight into a whale’s eyes is mesmerizing, it leaves you with this sense of awe. You can see the whole ocean of possibilities, the gentleness of this huge giant, the curiosity, the incredible wonder that is this amazing world.
I know lots of people fear the deep blue, the way the ocean seems to go on forever, but for me, the vastness of the ocean is a reminder that there is so much beauty out there to see. So many reasons to respect nature and connect with it at every possibility.
That third day it started raining by the end of our time. We had some time left in our tour but not enough to look for more whales, so we did a slow drift snorkel back to our house. It was also warmer in the water than outside.
During our snorkel back, I saw my favorite animal: the spotted eagle ray! Since it was raining, the video I got wasn’t very clear, but it was an amazing sighting for four beautiful spotted rays.
Swimming with Oceanic White Tip Sharks
On our fourth day, while looking for humpback whales, our crew spotted pilot whales. Pilot whales are actually members of the dolphin family but are treated as whales for the Marine Mammals Protection Regulations 1992. They do look like a dolphin with a thick forehead.
Everyone was excited, not only for pilot whales, but if you know about interspecies interactions, you know that oceanic white tip sharks hang around pilot whales. Pilot whales dive deep for squid and regurgitate them, and, oceanic white tips, being the scavengers that they are, they will eat the regurgitation.
If you don’t know much about sharks, it might not sound as exciting as say a bull shark or a great white. Oceanic white tips are the real concern in mid-ocean shipwrecks, like during the Nova Scotia steamship that was sunk by German torpedoes with 1,000 men on board and only 192 survived, or the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in 1945.
Unlike other sharks that attack humans by mistake, oceanic white tips will actually eat humans. I have been diving with bull sharks in Mexico but I was always more afraid of oceanic white tips. It was the only shark I was truly afraid to ever swim with, and here I was with the possibility of seeing one.
So here I was looking at pilot whales when our guide gives the call for sharks. Immediately, our group got into a tight ball and looked out for sharks.
You have to be hyper aware of where the shark is at all times and not allow them to get too close out of curiosity. Well, it wasn’t one shark, at one point we had SEVEN oceanic white tips around us.
At one point one of the sharks came directly at me, not fast, just slowly curious. I calmly just extended my fin to deter it, but Josh and Mata were already there.
It was the most exhilarating thing I have done in my life. Not only was it exciting, but it’s also an incredible reminder of how misunderstood sharks are. They are so important for the marine ecosystem and are just beautiful creatures.
Last Day of Swimming with Whales
On our last day, we woke up to strong winds. These were not dangerous to swim in, but they did create some conditions that were harder to swim in. We had huge swells but an amazing interaction.
A baby humpback whale was incredibly playful. They kept swimming around our group and the other one that was also in the water. The whale kept coming in close and we had to swim away so many times. The whales don’t respect the rules!
This was an amazing last day with the whales!
After that amazing hour long swim, we went to another coral for a last snorkel. I saw some sleeping nurse sharks, lots of colorful fish, a crown of thorns starfish, and a really cool moray eel.
That last night we went to the local bar for a last goodbye to Mo’orea in style. We had a slow morning the next day, a delicious Polynesian lunch, and a ferry to catch.
Swimming with whales in Mo’ore, I was able to see babies that were a few weeks old, playful babies, whale mamas protecting their own, a whale run, singing whales, oceanic white tips, and spotted eagle rays. This trip was a dream come true and a definite bucket list adventure.
It was a complete privilege to share the same waters as these amazing creatures, to cry in the presence of these gentle giants, to be able to experience swimming with whales.
I don’t take it lightly or for granted, and I hope that if you decide to do this bucket list adventure for yourself, you understand the importance of choosing an ethical operator and of the privilege it is to share the ocean with whales, sharks, and other sea creatures.
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