With unbeatable diversity and abundance of whales and dolphins, plus warm clear waters, Maldives ranks among the top five places on Earth for watching whales and dolphins.
Over twenty different species ( a quarter of the world’s total ) occur in the natural environment in the Maldives. These range from the mighty Blue Whale (the largest animal alive) to the diminutive but highly acrobatic Spinner Dolphin, the commonest species seen in tens of thousands.
Spinner Dolphins have a regular daily routine to their lives, feeding offshore at night, coming into the atolls in the early morning, and leaving again for the open ocean in the late afternoon. This dependable schedule means that it is very easy to find Spinner Dolphins at certain times every day. As a result, many Maldivian resorts offer morning or afternoon dolphin excursions to see Spinners.
While nothing with wildlife can be absolutely guaranteed, you will never have a better chance to watch wild dolphins playing in their natural environment than right here in the Maldives.
Blue Whale, Sperm Whale and Pilot Whale as well as seven different types of dolphin (Spinner, Bottlenose, Risso’s, Spotted, Striped, Fraser’s and Rough-toothed) are species that are regularly seen on special whale watching safaris.
If you would like to see even more dolphins, and whales too, you could try a Maldives luxury resorts on one of the many comfortable safari boats.
Maldivian specialities, which are frequently seen here, but hardly ever anywhere else, include Dwarf Sperm Whale, Melon-headed Whale and Tropical Bottlenose Whale (long considered the rarest whale in the World, but now known to be a Maldives resident). You may also spot a pod of magnificent Killer Whales (Orcas), which contrary to popular belief do not live only in cold waters.