Sperm Whales
World population could be from 100000 to 1million plus
They prefer ice-free waters over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) deep.
Best Places to see Sperm Whales
Azores,
Pico Island is one of the 9 islands in the archipelago of the Azores, located in the Atlantic Ocean. Every year these waters host about 20 species of cetaceans, including sperm whales, blue whales, fin whales and dolphins. Best Time: Mid-May to October
NORWAY Most likely to see: sperm whales in Norway JULY
The Lofoten and Vesterålen, far in the north of Norway, are perfect places for whale watching all year long: While you can rely on seeing sperm whales in summer, orcas and humpbacks crowd the fjords full of fish in winter.
During summer, the most important place is the little harbor town of Andenes in the north of the Vesterålen. Only 3.000 people live here, however, there are over 15.000 tourists in the city every year to watch the sperm whales, which you can pretty reliably meet when they spend the summer in the waters of Andoya.
About 50% of all Norwegian summer whale watching tours start from Andenes and its little neighboring town of Stø. In Andenes you can also find a very good and informative whale centre with life size models. Sperm whales are best spotted between June and August, occasionally also pilot whales, minke whales and various dolphins show up.
»During winter, there are multi day tours on Senja, which combine whale watching and polar light safaris.«
The other half of whale tours from Norway are offered in winter in the fjords of the Lofoten and Vesterålen. There’s a good chance of seeing lots of orcas and humpbacks there, maybe even the occasional finback. They all follow the herrings, which populate the fjords in millions during wintertime.
During the last years, the herrings seem to keep moving further and further up north and the whales with them. While Tysfjord near Narvik was the main destination for wintertime whale watchers, it has now become the fjords of Tromsø and Senja a bit further north.
On Senja, the biggest island of the Vesterålen, there are multi day tours in winter, which combine whale watching and northern light safaris.
ICELAND
REYKJAVÍK AND HÚSAVÍK, IThis cold and beautiful island offers the opportunity to participate in excellent whale watching. Here you can observe humpback whales, minke whale, sperm whales, killer whales and dolphins. The area’s whale watching excursions last half a day and, although you can see whales all year round, we recommend going between May and August.
Best Time: May to August
The Gulf of Mexico There is a largish population in the deep waters off the gulf of Mexico
Dominica and Guadeloupe Winter Adult females with young a resident population off Donmnica.
BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO
In a half day, you might see sperm whales and gray whales,
visiting Bahía Magdalena, San Ignacio lagoon, Guerrero Negro and Ojo de Liebre Lagoon.
Best Time: January to March
New Zealand, KAIKOURA, SOUTH ISLAND,
In this small town, located on the east coast of the South Island, whale watching tours are a major part of the tourism industry. These boats travel the high seas in order to spot large cetaceans such as sperm whales and humpback whales. Sperm whales travel in groups in this area because of the currents that make the waters rich in food.
Best Time: Hump backs June to August
FEB is high season! the giant sperm whales in the deep waters off the spectacular coast of Kaikoura.
Bremer canyon West Australia April to sept
The males arrive first, resting on the surface between epic dives to feast on giant squid. As the season unfolds, the maternal herds appear. Like a fleet of haphazardly parked buses, up to 70 females, juveniles and calves rest, play and socialise at the surface.
sperm whale expeditions regularly encounter killer whales (orca), long-finned pilot whales and false killer whales. You may even sight a rare beaked whale, fin whale or blue whale
Galapagos
Sri Lanka
see sperm whales, blue whales, dolphins and other amazing sea creatures visit Sri Lanka and go to Trincomalee, a beautiful town on the eastern coast. From this sleepy beach destination, half-day whale watching tours depart year-round, but the best time to swim with super pods of sperm whales is in February and March.
Madagascar
Seychelles
Indonesia Flores May to October
They inhabit the Mediterranean Sea, but not the Black Sea,
Populations are denser close to continental shelves and canyons. Sperm whales are usually found in deep, off-shore waters, but may be seen closer to shore, in areas where the continental shelf is small and drops quickly to depths of 310 to 920 metres (1,020 to 3,020 ft).
In Asian waters, whales are also observed regularly in coastal waters in places such as Commander and Kuril Islands, Shiretoko Peninsula where is one of few locations whales can be observed from shores, off Kinkasan, vicinity to Tokyo Bay and Boso Peninsula to Izu and Izu Islands, Volcano Islands, Yakushima and Tokara Islands to Ryukyu Islands,Taiwan, Northern Mariana Islands, and so forth.
Grown males are known to enter surprisingly shallow bays to rest (whales will be in state of rest during these occasions). There are unique, coastal groups reported from various areas among the globe such as Scotland, Shiretoko Peninsula, off Kaikoura, in Davao Gulf. Such coastal groups were more abundant in pre-whaling days.
Migration
In the Northern Hemisphere, summer migrations are by mature males to rich feeding grounds, in high latitudes of Arctic waters.
In the Southern Hemisphere summer, mature males move to Antarctica to feed. In most cases, they can be seen during their journey in groups of one or two individuals,
while females and young prefer to stay in warmer waters, forming the so-called social groups. Mature males then join the social groups in winter, during the breeding season.
In most places where Sperm whales are known to live, it is not uncommon to be able to observe year-round quite large groups of immature males sticking together,
While the above migration patterns are observed in both hemispheres, some Sperm whale populations are year-round resident.