Sperm Whale Trip Report 2025 - Trip 1

January 21 - 27, 2025

January 22, 2025. Day One: Wow, Wow, Wow!

The day started out good—not great, but promising. We headed about five miles offshore, where the team dropped in the hydrophone to locate the whales. The clicks were everywhere, and it didn’t take long to zero in on an area where the whales were deep underwater.

It took some time to locate individuals we could swim with, as the whales were hunting. They were doing their usual 45-minute deep dives during their hunting stretches.

When they surfaced, we got a few jumps—short but sweet—and some great passes. However, the whales were on the move, not lingering in one spot. We eventually found some juveniles and tried to stick with them, but they, too, seemed focused on a mission and didn’t stay in one place for long.

Normally, the babies stay at the surface, following their mothers as they dive deep to hunt.

By this point, we’d made it to the southern end of the island, nearly past the lee side. The wind and swells were rough, but it was still manageable. After a few hours of searching for “players,” our captain decided to head north toward calmer waters, away from the swells.

I’m so glad we did.

Before long, we found some whales—a mom and a calf (though I don’t believe it was her calf) swimming slowly together. They passed us, but they were moving so slowly that we decided to follow them. Eventually, the calf swam off, likely to rejoin its mother, and the other whale stopped swimming and went to sleep.

We stayed with her for about 45 minutes. She rested peacefully, then surfaced for a few breaths, swimming right next to us. Afterward, she sank back down and resumed her nap. We stayed with her, taking care not to disturb her, and watched as she repeated this cycle—surfacing for air, then diving back down to sleep.

When she surfaced again for a final breath, we took a few last shots before leaving her alone to rest in peace. It was a magical encounter, and we didn’t want to disturb her any further.

At that point, we called it a day. It couldn’t have ended on a better note. What an incredible day!

Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

January 23, 2025 – Day Two

The day started off a bit overcast with plenty of rain clouds looming, but thankfully there was no wind. It felt a bit chillier on the boat, but the calm seas made up for it.

As we picked up our guests and headed out to sea, we were greeted by a double rainbow over the ocean. The first rainbow was vibrant and strong, while the second, though fainter, was still visible—a magical sight to start the day.

Shortly after, we encountered a playful pod of spotted dolphins, which are quite common in these waters. They were jumping and surfing in our wake. We tried hard to position them in front of the rainbow for what would have been incredible photos and videos, but unfortunately, the dolphins just didn’t want to cooperate. 

The stars didn’t align this time, but maybe next time!

Today, we ventured north and found a couple of different pods of whales. 

The directional hydrophone gets dropped first to confirm there are whales in the area, and allows us to decide on the direction to take. Their loud sonar clicks immediately confirmed their presence, adding to the excitement.

Once the first whale surfaced, we geared up and jumped in. We had about six or seven solid  encounters today. Most were brief, with some whales swimming quickly past us. 

A couple of encounters were really good—some whales swam slowly by, giving us a chance to enjoy their presence and snap a few photos. One particular whale, was not interested at all in us and moved away quickly. We always leave those alone. They want to be left alone and thats what we do. We never force an encounter… there is no magic in that.

Toward the end of the day, we had a super close encounter where a whale came so close that we had to swim backwards to avoid bumping into it.

I do love those moments.

There were several whale swim boats in the area today, including an illegal one operating without permits. Unfortunately, it seems that enforcement of these regulations remains an ongoing issue. Island politics.

Despite these challenges, it was a good day at sea with the whales. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

January 24, 2025 – Day Three

We woke to high winds, but for the first time this trip, a cloudless, bright sunny sky. A refreshing change!

Sadly, the whales have been a no-show so far. We’ve been listening for them for a couple of hours now. While we’ve picked up a few clicks, the team hasn’t been able to pinpoint their location.

The whales have been unusually elusive this morning. We’re not sure what’s going on—maybe there’s a predator in the area… pilot whales or orcas?

Whatever it is, it’s made locating them very challenging today.

(11:07 AM): The search continues...

1:00 PM: Still no whales anywhere. However, we did have an unexpected encounter with a shark! While stopping to listen for whales on the south side of the island, a few of our group decided to jump in and cool off. Nathan brought his mask, and shortly after jumping in, he called out that there was a shark.

I quickly grabbed my camera and joined him, snapping a few “proof of life” photos of what I think to be a small silky shark—super cute! The shark got curious and cautiously approached to check us out. After deciding we weren’t worth its time, it lost interest and swam back into the deep.

Admitting defeat on the whale search today, we’re now heading back to port. Before we return, though, we’re hoping to find Becky, a very friendly bottlenose dolphin that’s been spotted hanging around the island. Fingers crossed we’ll get lucky!

Unfortunately, the bright, beautiful sky from the morning didn’t last. So even if we found Becky, the images would not of been great. Angry rain clouds rolled in, and a light drizzle followed us for the rest of our time at sea.

Here’s hoping for better luck tomorrow!

January 25, 2025 – Day Four

The day is absolutely beautiful! Low winds, lots of sunshine, and a gentle breeze over calm seas—perfect conditions for our adventure.

A Heartwarming Side Story:
Maria, one of our guests, had an incredible moment of compassion during her walk to the market. She saw a dog get hit by a car and stayed with it until the local shelter arrived to help. The shelter determined the dog needed its leg amputated, and Maria followed up with the shelter yesterday. She decided to adopt the dog and arrange for it to be shipped to New Orleans.

A beautiful story of second chances for this island pup!

Back to Our Day:
At 8:40 AM, we set out in search of sperm whales. Once we dropped the hydrophone, we would decide whether to head north or south based on the clicks.

We encountered a pod of bottlenose dolphins and spent a good hour trying a few jumps with them. The dolphins were friendly but not overly interactive. We saw them on every jump, though some encounters were better than others. The key to success with dolphins is always to stay ready!

Still no Becky though. She is a loner bottlenose dolphin and does not travel with a pod sadly.

We decided to leave the dolphins and search for whales in the north, while friends of ours headed south. Unfortunately, the whales remain elusive today, adding a bit of stress to the experience. It’s always tough when the magic moments don’t come as easily, but that is nature and why you have to appreciate every single encounter you get.

That said, I’m grateful the group got to experience those magical first two days. Hopefully, we’ll find the whales tomorrow and end the trip on a high note.

Fingers crossed for our final day at sea tomorrow.

January 26, 2025 – Day Five

Final Day for Group One

We woke to rainy and windy conditions, not the ideal start for our final day. Undeterred, we headed out to sea. After a few miles, we stopped for our first check, and Captain B picked up some whale activity in the south.

We waited in the south for a couple of hours, stationed on the edge of the island where there was no wind protection. The conditions were swelly and rainy, with the swells feeling pretty big and seemingly getting bigger, making it challenging to spot any whales. Although we could hear them below through the hydrophone, they remained elusive. With the swells, spotting them visually was no easy task. The search continued.

1:40 PM: Finally, success!

Our captain received a call from a buddy reporting whale activity on the north side of the island. We quickly motored across to get there. The captain kept the report quiet until he was sure we had found them.

As we arrived, beautiful plumes of blows filled the air. We spotted two whales—a female and a large juvenile. In the distance, we could see a small group of whales spouting.

We jumped in with the pair, but they quickly turned and began swimming toward the group in the distance. Hopefully, they would all join up and start socializing.

The whales we found was Unit R, a super-friendly pod. We managed three jumps with them. The encounters were really good. One of the whales was our sleeper from day one.

She was still just as curious as day one and when she swam past us, she swam so close we had to back up to avoid bumping into her.

It is always incredible to witness their behavior up close.

We were running out of time, the ride home was going to be a long one, and it had started raining again. We hoped for one last chance to jump in with the whales before the day ended.

Sadly the whales dropped down to continue hunting and we ran out of time.

Even if there wasn’t another jump, I’m beyond happy with how this trip finished up. It was a fantastic end to an unforgettable adventure.

As we made our way back, the rain returned in full force, pouring down for a while. But with the rain came nature’s gift—stunning, low rainbows stretching over the island. It was a breathtaking sight and the perfect ending to our trip.

Damn, I love nature!