By June, the first to arrive after a 5000km voyage are the breastfeeding mothers, followed by their offspring from the previous year. Then whale watching period extends to September. It is all the more spectacular as the humpback whales are the most gifted in the art of jumping called “ breaching”. They have the peculiar capacity to get out of water entirely, and fall down with impressive flurries of foam. But one will always wonder why the whales have this strange attitude of leaving their caudal fin motionless on the surface. Anyway, this makes taking photos, which are indispensable for the identification of each individual, easier. The whales may be watched in the waters of Nosy Be, Tuléar, Fort-Dauphin or Morondava, but there are two major outstanding spots:
- The Bay of Antongil, which is an important spawning zone. There the Wildlife Conservation Society works in collaboration with the local operators to optimize the initiatives with a view to enhancing value and preserving the whales. A Whale Festival was organised for the first time in 2004.
- Sainte Marie, where whale watching as a trade is well organized, with experience going back to 1994. The Association Megaptera and the Group of Tourism Operators (GOT) offer a scientific supervision of cruises for whale watching, with explanations on board followed by conferences in the evening. Support materials have been made, of which a “Practical Guide” at the intention of whale watchers and a “ Code of good behaviour”.
The last word by a passionate, Paul Martin : “ Since 1988 I have been at 500 outings for whale watching, taken thousands of photos, registered tens of hours of video. One year after the other , I recognize the same subjects, and I want to believe that they recognize me too…”
