Humpback whale watching and marine life in Moorea
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Moorea, French Polynesia
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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What's Included
- BreakfastFor the tour from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (from August to November) Hot and cold drinks; brioches and local products; fresh fruits
- LunchFor the tour from 7:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. (from November 12 to July 31) or 9:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (from August 1 to November 11) Light lunch (Sandwiches, quiches or pizzas), varieties of cold drinks, local fruits
- SnacksFor the tour from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (from July to December) Platters of varied local fruits, varieties of cold drinks
- Use of Snorkeling equipmentUse of Snorkelling equipment
- Private transportation
Meeting and Pickup
Operating hours
- 07/15/2022 - 07/19/2026
Monday - Sunday : 5:30 AM - 6:00 PM
- 07/20/2026 - 11/20/2026
Monday - Sunday : 5:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Departure Point
- You may start this tour at any of the stops listed.
Itinerary
Half-day boat trip to observe the ocean fauna, swim with whales (from July).
2 Stops
1 Point of Interest
Duration: 3 hours
Operating Schedule: - 5:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. (sunrise tour) (times adjusted according to sunrise) - 9:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (sunset tour)
1
Hauru Public Park Parking
2
Pacifik Attitude
Points of interest passed by on this route
Moorea
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Children are allowed on board from 5 years old
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Mary_R
Guides were super informative and helpful. They explained many things about the whales and were very respectful with our interactions with the wildlife.
Reviews
4.9
based on 199 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Cherry_B, Aug 2025
Captain Chewy and our guide Mata were really great. They found some whales and Mata explained everything to us and took us swimming to watch them. The whales were very curious and came close to us. So amazing to see them in the water. It was a really wonderful trip, and Chewy and Mata made it even better!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled you had such a special encounter
Chewy and Mata will be so happy to hear this.
Hope to see you again for another adventure!
christina_G, Nov 2024
Amazing tour! Would recommend highly to anyone. We saw spinner dolphins, swam with two humpback whales, melon head whales randomly, sharks, stingrays and lots of fish. Delicious lunch on board, (veggie or meat quiche with pineapple) .. friendly and knowledgeable staff (Oniel and Andrew) that made you feel safe. We had a perfect weather day but were still feeling some swells in the ocean. So just a little heads up for anyone who may get a little sea sick. But the other snorkeling spots were shallow.. and it was well worth it!
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Thank you so much for your amazing review! We're delighted you had such a memorable experience and enjoyed the incredible marine life, quiche, and the expertise of Oneill and Andrew. Your heads-up about the ocean swells is appreciated, and we’re glad it was all worth it for you. Hope to see you again for more adventures! 🐋🌊✨
Mary_R, Nov 2024
Guides were super informative and helpful. They explained many things about the whales and were very respectful with our interactions with the wildlife.
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled you enjoyed the tour and appreciated our guides' knowledge and respect for the wildlife. It was our pleasure to share this amazing experience with you! 🐋✨
Samantha_H, Sep 2024
This trip was amazing. We travelled as a couple (including one non swimmer). Doris and the captain were extremely helpful and friendly. Doris gave us a safety brief and explained that we would sail to spots to look for whales and if after an assessment to make sure our presence wasn't a disturbance to them that we would try to enter the water. She explained that trip before us had not been able to find any. We came across a mother whale and her calf and after assessment entered the water having to snorkel some distance away from the boat to the whales. This is not a trip for someone who has not snorkeld before. I was fortunate to have 2 encounters with a baby whale and it was absolutely incredible. On once occassion we had to move back as rhe calf came to us playing approx 3 -5 meters away. My partner stayed on the boat drinking rum. Unfortunately my camera stopped working in the sea but Doris said she would send me any photos she had that came out.
On the way back we stopped off in the shallows to snorkel with stingrays and black tipped fin sharks. This was just over waist height so would be suitable for a non swimmer if they wanted to walk around for a dip too. We arrived back at the beach just before sunset too so got to experience some amazing views of the island. Definitely recommend.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Thank you so much, Samantha, for your wonderful feedback! 🌟 We are thrilled to hear you had an amazing time with Doris and our captain. It’s always a pleasure to share the beauty of Moorea's whales with travelers like you. Hope to see you again for another adventure! 🐋
Jennifer_M, Sep 2024
Surreal experience, but not as originally expected. We originally booked with Moana tours, who subsequently cancelled our booking and asked that we book with their sister company - Pacifik Attitude. Transport/pickup were easy. Captain Chewy and Guide Clem were very knowledgeable and respectful of the whales. We expected a more tranquil swim in a lagoon with rays and black tipped sharks, with some whale observation. There was no lagoon experience, rather we stalked the whales via their mating calls and then bailed out of the boat in choppy open ocean water to swim up to 100m to see the whales, without life jackets or flotation device. It was somewhat shocking if one is not accustomed to open water swimming with fins in rough seas and after the first attempt, 4 of 6 guests did not get back in the water and 1 guest was very sea sick from the rough seas. That said, we did view a couple of breaching whales and the 2 guests that did the 2nd attempt did swim alongside a whale, which was a very surreal experience. I think the description should be more clear as to exactly what to expect in this excursion.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Thank you for sharing your experience. Unfortunately, when booking through Viator they do not have access to our booking system. Once a customer selects their tour date/time, Viator sends us a message to either confirm or reject the booking based on availability. So when booking through Viator we do not cancel the booking but rather reject it based on availability when Viator asks us to confirm/reject after customer has booked. It's not the best system and we hope Viator can integrate a live booking system soon. The weather the last few weeks has been a bit difficult, as conditions and animal behavior changes constantly. Life jackets are available onboard for anyone to use as well as a large floatation device with handles for multiple guests that is guided by our safety diver to assist customers on the government mandated 100m distance swim from the boat to the whales. We do our best to provide an in-water experience with the whales as we are one of very few places in the world where it is allowed and we have a short 90 day window for this experience. It is for that reason the whales are prioritized over lagoon sites during the whale season, as stated in the description, since the lagoon wildlife is easily accessible and present year round. I hope that if you are on Moorea another time, that you will have better weather that will provide a more comfortable experience. Thank you!
Sullivan_W, Sep 2024
We did the 5am tour and the water was very calm! We found a lone juvenile that swam with us for 25 minutes!! We then found a whale playing next to a sleeping whale and we watched all of the different behaviors! The guides were very helpful and professional! Oniel was awesome.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Thats awesome that you get a great sunrise experience with whales.
We hope to see you again.
Thank you
Danielle_F, Sep 2024
We were able to observe one humpback and six dolphins on our trip out. O’Neil and Chewie were fantastic guides. What an incredible day.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Thank you so much!!!
Charles_C, Aug 2024
Great tour. Snorkel leader O’Neil and Captain Ikeo were awesome on adventure of a lifetime. Saw turtles and dolphin on way to deeper waters , then found 2 humpback whales on surface. We were soon in water and had amazing views of the magical creatures as they rested below us, then swam in front of us in close proximity. Back in the boat we had a show of multiple whales jumping out of water. We then stopped in a calm lagoon for quiche , drinks (including rum punch) and snorkeling. Crew was informative , in both English and French, attentive to passengers needs, and emphasized safety for both whales and humans. The swimming in the open ocean was not as strenuous as I had been lead to expect from other reviews, but it was windy with rather choppy seas and lots of swells which made for lot of up/down in water and on boat. The sights and pictures more than made up for that. Transportation to/from hotel was seamless. Overall very nice trip in a beautiful setting with fabulous whale encounter.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Big thanks from our team for your feedback
Elbert_C, Aug 2024
Unfortunately we didn't have a good whale watching experience. This tour was supposedly operated by Pacifik Attitude per Viator but instead Moorea Moana Tours showed up.
There was a large group of us who got divided into 2 groups and rode on 2 separate boats operated by the same company. We were clearly the 'B' team. We were going turtle speed the whole way in choppy ocean waves, sometimes sitting idle in ocean waves, which made it a very unpleasant experience as people were getting seasick. Meanwhile, the sister boat charged straight ahead going after whale sightings while we were held back hundreds of meters away. Eventually enough people were sick that we turned back to swim with sting rays and sharks in the lagoon. It wasn't a total loss, but I already had separate lagoon tours planned and whale watching tours cost more than lagoon tours.
The people in the sister boat got to swim near whales and had amazing pictures to show as we were heading back to hotel in car. For being in the same tour group at the same time who paid the same price, I don't understand the difference in treatment.
I don't expect to see whales on all whale watching tours, and I certainly don't expect to swim near whales, but I expect the same tour opportunity as everyone else.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Hello
Moorea Moana Tours and Pacifik attitude are in collaboration.
People come from far to do this experience with whales .That day pacifik attitude boat can't operate and instead of cancelation we collaborate with Moorea Moana Tours one of the best business of the island.
This week is particularly complicate due the weather and its only a little part around the island who's is calm so most of the boats are in the same area. We want to avoid any pressure on humpback whales and sometimes have to wait boat leave an area with whales or find other animals and for that we go slowly , better for search.Unfortunately some people are very sick sometimes and we try to also do our best to keep everybody happy and make the right decision.
We are sorry that was not an easy day.
Book a Private tour to be on your own is definitely the best way when the weather is complicate.
Anna_F, Oct 2023
It was wonderful trip on the boat with Doris and Captain Chewy! They did all their best to look for the whales :) We have heard the whale singing and a whale mum with a baby humpback!
Response from Host, Oct 2023
thank you so much for your feed back.
francois_b, Oct 2023
I am still in awe... what an amazing experience. Our guide and captain were great and knowledgeable. The boat was only for 8 pax which is perfect. We got lucky enough to be the only boat on the 2 sites where we stopped. At the first stop we heard a singing male and you could literally feel the sound, it was crazy. He was deep so we could barely see him. Then we saw a mom and her baby sleeping and it was the most incredible event. Visibility was good. The baby whale was curious and playful. The mom was huge, probably about 15m. After they were done sleeping, they went on giving us a show of jumping out of the water and tapping the tail on the water. Simply amazing experience we highly recommend !! Thank you Pacifik Attitude :)
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Thank you for your feedback.We hope to see you again.
Kaoutar_C, Sep 2023
Amazing experience. It’s not guaranteed that you will encounter then but if you do it’s an amazing experience.
Response from Host, Sep 2023
thank you guys!
Isabella_S, Aug 2023
One of the best experiences I've ever had the chance to live in my life!!
Seeing and swimming with these gentle giants is an extraordinary feeling.
100% would recommend this crew, they were incredible and respectful of the whales.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Thank you so much to experience it with us
Jason_C, May 2023
Excellent day. Very experienced guide and boat captain as the waters were very rough but handled well. The experiences with the marinelife fish, turtles, stingrays and reef sharks was a once in a lifetime. Amazing!
Response from Host, May 2023
We really appreciate your time with us and we hope to see you again.
cheers
Ryan_S, Sep 2022
The crew was excellent and very knowledgeable. They tried their best to put us in the best position possible to see the whales. Due to Mother Nature we weren’t able to swim with them, but that is not for their lack of not trying. If we came back I would book with them again.
Response from Host, Sep 2022
Thank you so much guys to understanding the marine wildlife .
We hope to see you again
Matteo_T, Sep 2024
Le guide sono state davvero brave, a timonare la barca con le onde, a trovare le Balene grazie al microfono marino e soprattutto abbiamo avuto la possibilità di nuotare con 2 balene!
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Thank you
Annie_J, Oct 2023
Guides respectueux des baleines, explications claires
Nous avons pu voir maman son baleineau. De loin pour nous car la mer était formée et nous n’avons pas voulu nager aussi loin du bateau
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Bonjour
Merci les amis d'avoir essayer malgré les conditions météo difficiles ce jour la.
Claudio_B, Aug 2023
Le skipper a repere les balenes a tres longue distance , impossible a voir pour nous e Clemence etais super informative pour les esplications.
Bravos a tous les 2
Claudio et Darcel
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Merci les amis
Et oui hélas nager avec les baleines n est pas garantit
on espère vous revoir.
From $348.94
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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