Is It Ever Okay To Swim With Whales On A Trip? A Marine Biologist Weighs In

Animal attractions or activities are incredibly popular for tourists around the world. Whether your going on safari in Africa or visiting incredible zoos across America, encounters with wildlife can be major itinerary highlights. However, the issues of ethics and animal wellbeing have come further to the forefront of travel discourse over the past few decades. There are upsetting reasons why you may want to avoid some wildlife activities.

Swimming in the ocean can bring you into entirely new worlds under the water's surface. You might even get a chance to spot whales. We consulted with Kristyn Plancarte, a marine biologist and educational content creator, to learn about getting close to these massive creatures — or not. Plancarte actually wants all travelers to resist the potential excitement of getting close to a whale for its wellbeing. "There are a lot of recent studies that have found whales and dolphins experience high levels of stress when humans are present, and our presence disrupts their natural behaviors," she explained. Plancarte cited less resting and less eating as examples of changes in natural whale behaviors when humans are around. Some whale species are endangered and vital to their ecosystems as well.

There are plenty of companies around the world that take tourists out to open water in search of whales, but Kristyn Plancarte advises against these too. "Guided tours are not staffed with biologists and animal behavior experts. They are simply there to make money," Plancarte stated. Other companies operate whale watching tours wherein everyone stays on the tour boat, but Plancarte doesn't love these either because these huge boats can injure whales if they do not keep their distance.

A caveat to Plancarte's stance on whale watching boat tours relates to the strength of local regulations, such as the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the United States. This act makes it illegal for boats to get within certain distances of whales based on species and location around the country. The problem is that not all countries have these laws or at least don't have ways to enforce them. If you do join a whale watching boat tour, be sure that it operates in a place with strict wildlife protection regulations to ensure that the captain will not endanger the animals. Seeing steam from a whale's blowhole, a tailfin slapping the ocean's surface, or a whale breaching can be an a amazing experience even from the proper distance. And in some destinations, including Hermanus, South Africa, Husavík, Iceland, Vancouver Island, Canada, and some spots in California, Hawaii, Alaska, and Oregon provide the opportunity to spot incredible whales from the shore.