Posts Tagged ‘Whale watching’
Ecotourism with whales in New England and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
Back in January I made a trip to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for education programming work. In April, it was their turn to come up to us here in Massachusetts! Through a public vote hosted by European Outdoor Conservation Association, we received grant funding to carry out our work on this project, and part…
Read MorePilot whales under the midnight sun
I’m delighted to introduce the second blog from supporter Oliver Dirr, who has been travelling round the world, watching whales and sharing his best experiences with us! Read on for his account of a magical night under the midnight sun in Norway. Picture the scene: it’s close to midnight, yet the sun is still out.…
Read MoreSuccess for WDC campaign. Thomas Cook the latest to drop tours to captive dolphin parks
Travel industry giant, Thomas Cook has announced that it is dropping tours to some captive dolphin theme parks in the wake of growing public feeling against the use of whales and dolphins for entertainment. In its own report, Thomas Cook (the UK’s second largest travel company) found many facilities broke UK travel association ABTA’s guidelines…
Read MoreDeaf students experience the beauty of whale song for the first time
Deaf students in the Dominican Republic have been given the opportunity to ‘hear’ whale song for the first time thanks to an innovative education project. Using technology developed for music producers in the US, Maria Batlle, founder of Muse Seek (an education enterprise) has enabled students from the National School for the Deaf in Santo…
Read MoreWhale Trips: First stop – meeting sperm whales off Iceland!
I’m delighted to present a guest blog by Oliver Dirr, a German writer, tourism expert and passionate traveller! Oliver and his wife Theresa recently – in his words – “went on a trip around the world to meet some whales and learn about whale watching. First stop: the sperm whales off Iceland.” I’ve always been…
Read MoreWhales and History
The Azores are a renowned hot spot for encountering marine wildlife, including the majestic sperm whale. Holly from WDC’s travel partner Off the Map Travel recently visited the Azores to see first-hand how the islands have moved away from the dark days of whaling, to a brighter future embracing responsible whale watching. Sitting quietly in…
Read MoreWhale watching tours to resume in Kaikoura
Whale Watch Kaikoura has announced that it will resume whale watching tours on Monday (January 2nd). It was forced to suspend operations in November after an earthquake left the town on New Zealand’s South Island cut off and its marina suffered serious damaged. Whale watching, run as a community trust by the local Maori tribe,…
Read MoreWDC's Whale SENSE Atlantic Program has Banner Year in 2016
In 2016, the responsible whale watching program Whale SENSE Atlantic hit two records: the highest number of participants (16) and the most large whale entanglements documented by participants (13). The most recent entanglement was reported by American Princess Cruises out of New York City on December 4, and involved a critically endangered right whale. “This…
Read MoreWDC sends message of support to NZ whale watch community following earthquake
WDC sends a message of support to Kaikoura’s whale watch community, wider community and tourists, following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake which struck the region early Monday morning, local time. The large earthquake has been followed by over 150 aftershocks in the last 24 hours, including one particularly hefty aftershock with a magnitude of 6.2. The coastal…
Read MoreTripAdvisor to stop promotion of swim-with dolphin activities
Travel website, TripAdvisor has announced that it will no longer allow users to book activities that involve contact with endangered species or captive wild animals. The decision comes as public opinion continues to shift regarding shows that use intelligent creatures like whales and dolphins for human entertainment. Recent drops in profits and share prices have led captivity…
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