WildOceans have offered these tropical cetacean bonanzas for some years now and the word is finally getting around on how good they are, so early booking is strongly advised. Hundreds of Spinner Dolphins are seen during our cruises. These energetic and acrobatic dolphins are always a delight, and are named for their high spinning leaps. We will spend plenty of time with them, even swimming with them if conditions are suitable. But Spinners are so abundant in the Maldives that after a few days we will be happy to pass them by as we go in search of an astonishing array of other whales and dolphins.

Diversity is the real attraction of the Maldives. On a typical trip we see anything from 8 to 14 species. In addition to Spinner Dolphins, we commonly see Risso’s Dolphins, Pantropical Spotted Dolphins, Striped Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Dwarf Sperm Whales, Shortfin Pilot Whales, Cuvier’s Beaked Whales and Blanvilles’ (Dense-beaked) Whales. We also regularly see Blue Whales, Bryde’s Whales, Sperm Whales, Killer Whales, False Killer Whales, Melon-headed Whales and Fraser’s Dolphins, as well as occasional sightings of much rarer species such as Longman’s Beaked Whale. All the voyage’s sightings and numbers will be logged as part of Chas Anderson’s ongoing research into the cetaceans of this area of the Indian Ocean.

If this diversity sounds a bit confusing, don’t worry. We have superb close views of whales and dolphins in the Maldives, which makes identification easy. Every evening there will be an entertaining and informative slide show highlighting the key features of all the species we see, so by the end of this trip you will be confidently separating your spinners from your spotteds, bottle-nose from striped, and all the rest.

On these trips, we travel through the Maldives to view whales and dolphins from on board our specially chartered vessel, Fathima. Our voyage will take us past idyllic island and reef scenery, with plenty of sightings of dolphins and whales. Our trips are planned for the calmest times of year, when we hope to have light winds or dead calm.

Our itineraries will be very flexible, to make the most of cetacean sightings. The November trips will travel to the Northern Atolls in search of Blue Whale in particular, enjoying the beautiful scenery, and taking our time to watch dolphins, other whales, flying fish and seabirds.  We also hope to see magnificent Manta Rays and, if we are very lucky, Whale Sharks. As is normal practice in the Maldives, we will travel by day, and anchor early each evening in a sheltered atoll lagoon. Depending on our location there may be opportunities for a snorkel or island visit at these times.

In addition to the action above the water, the snorkelling is absolutely fantastic and offers a whole new arena of Natural History. Tropical fish abound and as Chas has spent many of the last years identifying and cataloguing them you will be travelling with the world’s leading authority. If you are very lucky you may encounter dolphins in the water as well as even larger creatures, including the graceful and spaceship like Manta Ray.

Chas will also delight in showing anyone who is interested, the world’s only pelagic insect, the Ocean Strider, a distant relative of our pond skater. Birds only average about 20 species per trip, but include a nice selection of tropical terns in particular. The November trips coincide with autumn migration however and often yield twice that number of species including vagrants for the island and region. There will be lots of surprises but you will have to go yourself to find out.

In summary, these are superb trips that promise great cetacean sightings, a delightful tropical cruise, coral reefs, paradise islands, and friendly local people, led by the man on the spot.

Group size is kept small to make the most of our natural history sightings and to have minimal impact on the islands we visit.

Holiday Information

Dates:  1) 14th - 25th November 2006 Northern Atolls

           2)  2nd - 13th December 2007 Northern Atolls

           NB Check with us for additional departures.                    

Guide: Dr. Charles Anderson

Price :  1) &  2) £1590  per person sharing a twin cabin

Facilities: All cabins are air-conditioned with private facilities.

Deposit: £350

Max group size: 14

Price includes: Transfers to/from Malé airport, cruise including all meals, tea and coffee on board, use of snorkelling gear, naturalist guide, tourist tax and atoll permits.

Price excludes: Flights UK - Male (available from £599), travel insurance (from £65.15 per person), drinks, local airport tax (US$12), gratuities and other items of a personal nature.

Previous trip reports available here.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Malé and transfer to our live aboard vessel. Set sail around midday for our first afternoon’s whale watching. We may even see our first within sight of the airport.

Days 2- 4: Heading north cruising amongst the atolls of the Maldives, looking for and watching whales, dolphins and seabirds. Each evening we will anchor in a sheltered lagoon, near a coral reef, uninhabited island or resort.

Days 5-7: Exploring the North of the island group.

Days 8-11: Heading back south.

Day 12: Our final day’s whale and dolphin watching before returning to Malé. Evening  transfer to the airport after dinner onboard.

Seychelles   New!

 Chas Anderson has also spent some time in the Seychelles and in late 2005 ran an exploratory trip combining island stays with five days at sea. Over 4000 cetaceans were seen of 10 species including Sperm Whales and a group of 500 Melon-headed Whales ‘logging’ around the vessel at one point. A visit to the seabird island of Aride and a total of nine of the Seychelles bird endemics were also amongst the many other highlights. We are expecting details soon of a second trip in October 2007 (11 nights, c £1690 per person excluding international flights), please contact us for details and the previous trip report.