Swim with Blue Whales in Timor-Leste

A whale lover’s dream…

This ‘Swim with Pygmy Blue Whales’ tour is an extraordinary opportunity – come snorkelling with the 2nd-largest mammals that have ever lived!

From late October to early December each year, Blue whales are spending their time in the warm, clear coastal waters of northern area of Timor Leste (was East Timor), feasting on huge clouds of nutrient rich krill in the huge ocean canyons and the deep channels north of the island. We will be there with these wondrous beings. We may also find ourselves sometimes swimming with sperm whales, different species and dolphins ! We can include one of the 6 days, swimming with dugongs (Manatee)!

We will be heading out into the channel each morning on each of our 7 whale-watching days with a passionate and dedicated crew. They are experts in taking people to swim with with these magnificent leviathans and are the very same team that have hosted the filming of the blue whales for the tv series and media stories.

See Visa and Covid 19 requirements for Timor Leste below, under the Tour dates and price. . . .

Swim with Blue whales in Dili, Timor Leste

7-nights & 6 x 6 hour trips out with the whales with lunch. (one of these days can be swimming with
10 people maximum on each tour.

Tour Inclusions

7 nights in poolside rooms with ensuite bathrooms, living room and kitchen
A full breakfast daily | lunches aboard the whale boat | 4 evening meals.
6 days on the water with opportunities to snorkel with marine-life such as sperm blue whales, whales, beaked whales, pilot whales, false killer whales, several species of dolphin and turtle.
Laundry service, a gym & a local SIM card for internet (we recommend that you bring a second smart phone)
Airport transfers in Dili
Lots of fun!

Not Included

All return international flights to/from Dili, Timor Leste
Snorkelling gear
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
3 evening meals
Travel insurance
Weigh belts (available at extra cost, if wearing a heavier wetsuit)

Itinerary

Please Note: It is very rare to have rough seas during November & December, however with the changes in weather patterns around the world, we can not guarantee calm seas every day.
If we do have a day with rough weather, then we will replace the day on the ocean with a 1/2 day snorkelling with dugongs (Manatee)

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IMPORTANT! You need a Tourist VISA to enter Timor Leste – you get this on arrival and you pay at the Immigration window – this is USD$30 CASH – please make sure you have this, as they do not have an eftpos machine in Immigration!

Important note: You are required to have a valid passport and round-trip air ticket on arrival in the country..

Sri Lanka is known for its rich marine treasures. Not only is it the home to the largest population of blue whales in the world, it is a known feeding area for pods of sperm whales during the same season. You may have the opportunity to snorkel with some of the eleven species of whales that reside around the island of Sri Lanka, including blue whales, sperm whales, beaked whales, pilot whales, false killer whales and you may also see up to fifteen different species of dolphins.

This is a snorkelling only expedition. Blue whales and other Sri Lankan cetaceans may be enormous but they are also very shy animals. Noisy scuba equipment would frighten the whales into a deep dive so it is far better if we take a minimalist approach.

This encounter requires nothing more than a swimsuit and rashie, a light 1.5m – 2m top/shortie/wetsuit if you tend to get cold, mask, snorkel, fins and (free diving fins are permitted but ONLY if you are a very experienced free diver). The water is a warm 24C – 26C and the air around 28 – 32C. Please note: Your neoprene will dry very quickly and then heat up. If its its heavier than 2m thick, you will get very hot!

Daya, our passionate naturalist & guide

An advanced open water diver, Daya is Sri Lanka’s most experienced free diving naturalist at sea. He has worked with many celebrated photographers from around the world, with over 300 whale watching tours in Sri Lanka.
He has gathered tremendous data spanning five years of watching the Super Pods of sperm whales in the eastern seas of Sri Lanka and he was featured on the most popular BBC documentary series Blue Planet II, which was narrated by Sir David Attenborough.Daya is fluent in English, Sinhalese and Tamil has a wonderfully sharp sense of humour, and is an extremely gentle soul who enjoys his time at sea.‘

Our Boat & Crew . . .

The local whale-watching vessels are basic. We have chartered 3 x 4 x seater 8m timber boats with a protective canopy to protect you from the sun.
We enter the water by sitting on the side of the boat and slipping quietly into the water. Re-entry is via a ladder hooked over the side – you need flexibilty to swing your legs over the side into the boat.

There is very limited room on board so a small dry-bag – with hat, sunscreen, lip balm, mask de-fogger, a strong refillable water bottle, snacks and your camera gear is all there is space for. Water (to refill your bottle), lunch and some snacks will be provided. If you have some favorite snacks, please bring them with you.

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Days on the water . . .

We will start at 8am and out on the water for around 6 hours for each of our 7 days on the ocean. It can take up to an hour or more to reach the deep underwater canyons were the Blue whales (and Sperm whales if they are around) feed at this time of the year. There are several of these huge canyons, just offshore in the area.

Our boats are equipped with very quiet 4 stroke engines that can get us quickly to the right place as the whales approach and, when the time is right, we will be entering the water as unobtrusively as possible and observing these magnificent mammals swimming past us.

We may also have opportunities to snorkel around a small island in the area. Its rich with reef-life and different species of turtles. Our priority is your safety and respect for these wondrous animals.

Please note – this is an active adventure holiday and designed for those who are reasonably fit, agile and confident swimming and snorkelling in deep water.

About Blue Whales . . .

It is difficult to imagine just how huge the blue whale (balaenoptera musculus) is until you’re up close on the surface or in the water with them. Their hearts can weight as much as a car; their tongues may exceed the weight of an elephant, and and adult has 2,500 gallons of blood circulating throughout it’s body constantly. They feed almost exclusively on krill and other plankton and an adult blue whale can consume four tons daily during their feeding season. Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived on our beautiful blue planet, growing up to 100 feet long and weighing up to 180 tons or more. When born, blue whale calves are around 25 feet long and can weigh 3 tons and they can drink more than 380 litres/100 gallons of their mother’s milk every day!

Aggressive hunting in the 1900s by whalers seeking whale oil drove the blue whales to the brink of extinction and it is thought that some 360,000 were slaughtered between 1900 and the mid-1960s. Their numbers were reduced to just 1,000 or so whales by the mid 1950s. They finally came under protection under the auspices of the 1966 International Whaling Commission, but the global population has only made a minor recovery since then, with an estimated 15,000 blue whales now roaming our oceans worldwide.

Blue whales have few predators but many are injured or die each year from impacts with large ships and marine pollution is also a serious threat. It is critical that we continue to work for further conservation and protection of these gentle giants of our planet.

About Sperm whales . . . .

The sperm whale (physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of the toothed whales and can grow to be as long as 20.4m (67 ft). They also have the largest brain out of any animal known to exist. They are also known to have the largest eyes out of all of the toothed whale species.

Reaching depths of over 9,500 ft. the sperm whale is one of the deepest diving marine mammals in the world and are well-known for their diet of giant squid, which are known to grow to lengths of over 40 ft. long. Because the sperm whale often hunts for its food in pitch black waters echolocation allows them to maintain complete awareness of their surrounds using sound.
Because the sperm whale is a marine mammal it requires oxygen to breathe. These marine mammals inhale/exhale an average of 3 – 7 times per minute depending on how active they’ve been. During deep dives the sperm whale can hold its breath for up to 90 minutes!

The only known natural predator to the sperm whale is a pod of killer whales. Although these attacks are rare they have been observed in the wild. They are known to produce ambergris (whale vomit) which has been used to create perfumes and expensive high-end scents.

Sperm whales are often seen in pods in these waters due to the rich food sources found in the deep ocean canyons in the area. They are often curious about us and may use their sonar, making their ‘clicking’ sound when swimming around us. They are known to be in the area during March & April.

About the area…

Our whale-watching home base is the simple little town on the North Eastern shores of Sri Lanka – a melting pot of different cultures, with the food, clothing and daily goings on reflecting a multitude of influences, including Muslim, Portuguese, Dutch, British and Sinhalese.

It is a wonderful melange of experiences and rich in history. You will find colourful temples nestled next to churches mixed amongst old colonial Dutch or British buildings and local dwellings.

It has not been ‘found’ by many yet and it’s lovely golden sand beaches, peaceful surroundings, unspoiled natural areas and easy-going friendly local folk make this slightly off-the beaten-track town a fascinating and laid back destination.

More Tour Information . . . .

Please Click the links below to read the information.

Getting to Colombo, Sri Lanka

Gear you will need to bring on the boat

Snorkelling Experience required

Our Terms & Conditions

Terms & Conditions of Booking with WhaleSwim Adventures:

Online ‘Book your Tour’ reservations will be held for 14 days. The non-refundable deposit of USD$2,000.00 per person is required within 14 days to confirm a reservation.
All payments to be paid in US Dollars only, payment in full is to be paid by 1 February 2019. All payments are by wire transfer, please add USD$20 for banks fees. Payments are non-refundable.
A Liability Waiver must be signed by each guest & uploaded to the Aqua Abilities page in their online booking within 14 days of confirming their booking with WhaleSwim Adventures Ltd.
Re-scheduling and substitution of guests is permitted with approval of WhaleSwim Adventures.
Comprehensive travel insurance is mandatory for all our WhaleSwim Adventures guests and should be taken out at the time of booking your tour and airfares. Your travel insurance must provide cover against personal accident, death, medical expenses and emergency repatriation with a recommended minimum coverage of US$200,000 for each of the categories of cover. It must also cover trip and flight cancellation. We also strongly recommend it also covers curtailment, personal liability and loss of luggage and personal effects. You must provide WhaleSwim Adventures with proof of your travel insurance within 14 days of booking your tour. You will not be able to join the tour without it.
All rates and conditions are subject to change.
If payments are not received at the designated times WhaleSwim Adventures reserves the right to sell those spaces in question with forfeiture of all monies to date.
The booking is binding and all payments are non-refundable unless the cancelled space is filled.
Prices may change due to; * currency fluctuations or increase of rates by suppliers after the tours have been published on the whaleswim.com website, even after payment is made in full, clients will have to pay the additional cost. * schedule or content changes * circumstances beyond the control of WhaleSwim Adventures
These are ecological holidays, WhaleSwim Adventures reserves the right to ask any participants to leave the group should he/she behave in a way that is insensitive to the whales, the environment, local people, our staff, management, crew or other group members or continually not follow the whaleswim Guides directions in the water with the whales. WhaleSwim Adventures staff and management also reserve the right to move those guests to other accommodation and boat charter at the guests expense. No refund will be given.
Please read Aquatic Abilities (Experience Required section):
Sri Lanka : https://www.whaleswim.com/blue-whales-in-sri-lanka/
Drones are not permitted on these tours.
Smoking is NOT permitted on the whale-watching vessels.
In the event of cancellation of a whale-watching due to bad weather, we may visit Kaudalla Wildlife Park for the day – if this is not possible, no refunds will given by WhaleSwim Adventures.
Children/teenagers under 18 years old are not accepted on our tours.
If the minimum bookings of 6 people on tours is not reached 40 days prior to departure of each expedition, then WhaleSwim has the right to cancel the expedition or transfer guests to another expedition or give a full refund to the guest. Any airfares booked/changed and paid for by the guest should be covered by their travel insurance.

Your Accommodation . . .

The first night accommodation is at Cinnamon Red Hotel in the bustling city of Colombo. It offers modern and comfortable accommodation with free WiFi access throughout the property. It features a rooftop outdoor pool and rooftop bar and pool. Air-conditioned rooms include a wardrobe, in-room safe, a flat-screen satellite/cable TV and sofa seating area. Electric kettle and minibar are also provided. The en suite bathroom comes with towels, hairdryer and shower facility. The in-house restaurant serves a tasty selection of local dishes for guests to enjoy. After-meal drinks are available at the bar. The location is a great choice for travellers interested in food, friendly locals and relaxation.

For the tour accommodation in Trinco, we stay a classic resort, built in the late 1960s and refurbished in 2010 by expert interior specialist Channa Daswatte, who opted for denim trimmings and a retro 70s design that makes an unusual getaway in the east of Sri Lanka. It is a Green Globe-certified hotel and goes to great lengths to protect the marine life and villages around it. It is a hassle-free, privacy-guaranteed resort, allowing you a relaxing time when you are there.Wake up in the wee hours and take a peek outside your window as the skies throw beams of white and yellow across the horizon, paving the way for the sun as it rises each morning. This is the land of the rising sun with an ocean full of vibrant marine life that makes this resort perfect for your 8 nights of this amazing tour with Blue whales.
Your beach-side rooms all have ensuite bathrooms and an outdoor patio with outdoor furniture and its just a few metres to walk to our boats each morning.