Sperm Whale Trip Report 2025 - # 2

January 26 - February 1, 2025

 January 27, 2025 – Day One

Wow, Wow, Wow!

The trip begins... and amazingly the weather is stunning. Flat, calm seas with a gentle breeze, with the sun shining brightly—it feels absolutely amazing. This weather is the stuff dreams are made of.

We departed at 8:30 and went to the South side of the Island. It was a good call because as soon as we arrived, we spotted our first whale. It was just go-go-go after that. The whales were everywhere. Trying to find the words but no words can describe how good this morning has been...

It’s now 10:38 in the morning, and we’ve already had more in your face whale interactions than we did during the entire previous week—and last week was fantastic!

The action has been non-stop, with incredible encounters and whales that have been solid “players.”

These whales seemed genuinely curious, watching us, spending time with us, just hanging out. Its been two hours straight of insane magic.

Words can’t capture how special and epic today has been so far.

12:00 PM: Just as quickly as it began, the action stopped. The whales have been down deep feeding, and we’ve had no sightings for over an hour.

Still, today has been nothing short of pure magic—the kind of day you dream of having. Our guests are thrilled, I am thrilled. While waiting for the whales to re surface, a pod of common dolphins arrived in the area. Normally these dolphins just rocket through. These guys were just hovering together near the boat, on the surface. Not sure what they were doing?

A few of our guests attempted a jump with the pod. They didnt stick around though and took off pretty quickly.

Later in the afternoon, we found another whale and attempted a jump, but it dove down fairly quickly.The whales have changed moods and did not feel like interacting with us anymore. We took it as a sign that we should leave the whales alone.

So we left the area and went off in search of Becky the bottlenose dolphin. 

We searched for her in a few spots where she has been seen before. Sadly, she was a no show, so we returned to port.

Today was a very good day… can’t wait for tomorrow!

January 28, 2025 – Day Two

The day started off a bit windier, with lots of rain clouds over the island but clear skies over the sea. We’re hoping it stays that way.

We dropped the hydrophone a few times already and can hear whales, so we’re tracking them now. There was one whale sighting, but it dove before we got close. We’re hoping for some good whale action today—fingers crossed.

This morning, we headed south, but the winds were too strong in that area for effective searching, so we decided to leave and head north. Maybe we’d see something along the way?

We searched and searched, but no luck for a while. We did spot a whale and motored towards it, but it dropped down before we got close. The whales just weren’t interested today for some reason. Not sure what was going on.

Around 1:30 PM, we were ready to call it a day and head back to port. I was about to suggest cruising along the coastline to search for Becky, the bottlenose dolphin, when the captain spotted several blows in the distance.

We slowly motored over to them.

It looked like 6 or 7 whales socializing together, and I got excited. As we got closer, the captain’s eyes widened—there were more than ten whales in the group, and some were enormous…Male sperm whales!

I was thinking this could be potential mating behavior. We slid into the water carefully and witnessed what appeared to be a sperm whale heat run—possibly one of the first times it’s been documented here.

The whales swam toward us, and I tried to count, but I had to swim out of the way as they were coming straight at me. It looked like there was a very flirty female in the front with a lot of males chasing her in hopes of mating.

There was around four big males following her closely, and behind them was a handful of younger males, following them.

Many of the males had their penises out, clearly hoping for their chance to mate.

I was filming and photographing the scene when I turned around and saw more whales heading my way. It might have been 12+ sperm whales in the heat run—it was absolutely insane!

I’ve dreamed of capturing a moment like this, and it finally happened.

A DREAM COME TRUE!

The whales passed us, I followed for a bit, and we climbed back on the boat. We tried for a second jump, but by then, the whales had all dropped down and disappeared.

Later, we found another small group of whales—this time, four males—but they quickly dropped down and vanished. Before they disappeared, one of them regurgitated its food. Bits and pieces of squid floated in the currents. I dove down and grabbed a piece of a piece of squid with white tentacles lifelessly swaying in the water.

We brought the remains up to the boat for a quick show-and-tell session.

What an incredible way to wrap up our day at sea! Nothing all day, and then BAM, a quick epic session that will stay with all of us forever.

Fingers crossed the males don’t swim off with all the females tomorrow.

January 29, 2025 – Day Three

The morning greeted us with a slight breeze and rain clouds lingering over the island, while the ocean stretched out under a clear, blue sky. We hoped the good weather would hold for the day ahead.

After motoring a few miles offshore, we dropped the hydrophone. The sound of popping filled the speaker—whales clicking and communicating all around us. It was a promising sign that they were still in the area. Captain B also picked up the distinct sounds of males, confirming that the boys were still around, searching for mates. With excitement building, we set off in pursuit.

Unit A, J, V, R, and Utencils

What unfolded next was the most incredible diving experience of my life. More than 40 whales, all swimming together—the largest aggregation our guides had ever witnessed.

I find myself at a loss for words. We spent three unforgettable hours in the water, diving continuously. It was exhausting but so good, surrounded by these magnificent creatures. It was, without a doubt, the most extraordinary wildlife encounter I have ever had. Pure, breathtaking magic.

At one point, during one of our jumps, the massive pod of whales passed us. Then, in an incredible and unexpected moment, a male called out a command, and suddenly, all the whales flipped around and swam back past us. It was unreal—an orchestrated movement that left us in awe.

A particularly tense moment occurred when a massive male surfaced directly underneath Mike. He was completely caught off guard, unsure of what to do next. Thankfully, the whale peacefully passed by without incident. Mike had never intended to be that close, but with the whale surfacing from below, he had no choice. It was a humbling and unforgettable experience.

By 12:30 PM, we began our journey back to port. The whales had given us everything that morning, but by our final two jumps, they made it clear they were ready for some space. Respecting their signals, we called it a day.

The true highlight had already happened—over 40 whales gathered in one place, socializing, mating, and playing. It was a sight beyond imagination.

Our cameras captured it all—video, stills, and drone footage. It was an experience that defied words, a privilege to witness.

A truly humbling day—one I will never forget.

Can’t wait for tomorrow…

January 30, 2025 – Day Four

We woke to a very wet morning. Heavy rain fell through the night, leaving the island soaked. Despite the damp start, the skies over the ocean looked promising, and the warm breeze hinted at a hot, beautiful day ahead.

Hoping to find some lingering activity from yesterday, we set out in search of more groupings—if we were lucky.

We first headed south and dropped the hydrophone, but Captain B heard nothing. So, we changed course and went north, where we finally picked up the whales. However, the winds were picking up, and the swells were building.

Even though we could hear the clicks clearly, spotting them on the surface in the choppy conditions was going to be a challenge.

We found a few individuals, but with several other boats in the area dropping people in the water, conditions were becoming less than ideal.

We attempted a couple of jumps with the whales, but as the swells continued to build, we ultimately decided to call it a day.

Tomorrow is our final day here in Dominica. Hoping for one last epic encounter for our guests—can’t wait!

January 31, 2025 – Final Day, Final Dive

5 days of swimming with sperm whales have come and gone—it all went by so fast, almost like a blur.

Today, the conditions were perfect. A brilliant blue sky, just the right amount of clouds, and a beautiful breeze.

It was the kind of day that made you grateful to be here, alive, and experiencing this incredible place.

11:10 AM: We found our first whales of the day in the north, but unfortunately, a few other boats were already in the area. Rather than compete, we decided to move on in search of our own whales to swim with.

A few of our guests managed to get a drop with the whales earlier in the morning, meaning we officially went five for five—five days of whale encounters in a row. That’s always a fantastic way to wrap up a trip.

We ended our day with a final swim alongside a mother and her calf. It was a brief but beautiful encounter, and everyone was happy with the experience. In truth, I think we are all still riding the high from the previous days’ incredible moments.

It’s going to be tough to ever top that.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us on this adventure.

Your enthusiasm and passion made this trip truly special. Until next time!