Sperm Whales
WILDLIFE
Encounters with the World's Most Charismatic Whales
Where do Sperm Whales Live?
Sperm whales are one of the most widespread species on the planet and can be found in all deep oceans, from Costa Rica to Antarctica. With NWS, you can swim with sperm whales in Dominica. Sperm whales live close to the surface of the water, diving deep to get food.
What is the Best Time to see Sperm Whales?
Sperm whales can be see all year round. Our Sperm Whale trips run from February to August when the weather and water visibility is at its best.
WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO SWIM WITH SPERM WHALES
Dominica is the best place to swim with Sperm Whales. Staring down into the bright blue waters of the Caribbean from your small boat, you wait, engine off. Under the surface emerges a huge mass of grey, and that is it, time to delve under the surface as swimming just beneath, awaiting your visit, is the largest toothed carnivore on earth. Easy and calm to approach, they pose no danger as you’re dwarfed in their presence. Taking time to photograph them, and be photographed alongside them, you bathe in the warm waters of Dominica together.
The Sperm Whale
- The largest of the toothed whales, these huge animals are quite easily recognisable by their huge, box-shaped heads. In fact, they have the largest brains of any animal, weighing about 9 kilos. These big heads aren’t just full of brain though, they also contain a substance called spermaceti (hence the name), an oily fluid that was originally believed by sea-folk to be sperm. The substance hardens like wax when it gets cold which has led to the most common theory that it helps alter the whale’s buoyancy.
- Sperm whales are deep divers, reaching 1,000 metres and staying under the water for as much as 1.5 hours in search of their favourite food, squid.
- The bottom jaw of the whale is very long and narrow with the teeth slotting into sockets in the upper jaw when their mouth is closed. They also have an extremely large and flexible fluke (tail), proportionally much bigger than the other whale species helping them achieve speeds of up to 27 miles per hour.
- Males can reach 16 metres, with females being slightly smaller; their heads take up a third of their total length.
- Sperm whales can often be seen logging or lob-tailing and are very vocal, using echolocation to locate and catch prey in the dark ocean depths.
- CONSERVATION STATUS: Sperm whales are currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Despite severe whaling in the past, the numbers are still fairly high.
EXPERT VIEW: Will Bolsover
Swimming with sperm whales is one of those life stopping moments that sooner or later you are going to have to do. Slower paced than the big blue whales, sperm whales spend longer on the water's surface making it easier to calmly get into the water alongside them as they cruise through the crystal clear Caribbean waters.
Guided by our NWS expert guide, you have the unique opportunity to get up close and personal and maybe even get that once in a lifetime selfie.