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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Americas

Americas

Guatemala

A highland country with two short coasts, where dolphins are seen in a shallow bay and whales are watched from a distance.

Common bottlenose dolphin
Common bottlenose dolphin, found in the waters of the wider region · Photo: NOAA on Unsplash
Story only

Story only, for now. We love learning about this place and its ocean, so we share its story here and do not sell trips yet. Checked by Ocean Calling on 6 Oct 2026. Sources: La observacion de cetaceos: un atractivo turistico ya regulado en Guatemala, Panama America; Guatemala opens humpback whale season, Noticias Ambientales; Guatemala travel advice, UK FCDO (gov.uk).

Why: Humpback whales pass Guatemala's Pacific coast from about November to April, busiest in January to March, and dolphins and turtles are seen on the same trips; olive ridley turtles nest on the Pacific beaches mainly from July to October, leatherbacks from December to February. Guatemala has a national regulation for watching whales and dolphins from boats: stay 100 metres away (150 metres for small dolphins) with the engine in neutral, approach from the side or behind, no more than three boats at once, and only registered tourism operators with certified guides. We would keep that distance, watch quietly from the boat and never swim with, feed or touch the animals.

WhalesSharksDolphinsWildlife watching

Why Guatemala

People come to Guatemala for Antigua, Lake Atitlan and Tikal, and the two short coasts are a side story. On the Caribbean side, bottlenose, spotted and spinner dolphins, pilot whales and humpbacks have been recorded in a shallow, cloudy bay. On the Pacific side, whale sharks meet sport fishing boats in season, and the same coast lands many hammerhead sharks. Local rules say nobody swims with whales or dolphins, so this is watch only for us.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

United States of AmericaHaitiDominican Rep.BahamasMexicoBrazilPeruColombiaPanamaCosta RicaNicaraguaHondurasEl SalvadorGuatemalaBelizeVenezuelaGuyanaSurinameFranceEcuadorPuerto RicoJamaicaCubaTrinidad and TobagoAmatique Bay and Livingston, GuatemalaIztapa, Guatemala

When to go

Timing changes a lot from place to place. See each place below.

We share this place as a story so you can learn. There is no Ocean Calling trip.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Story only

We tell the story. We do not sell a trip here.

Checked 6 Oct 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
The story

Where in Guatemala

We share these places as stories and research notes. We do not offer or sell trips here.

Amatique Bay and Livingston

Story only

Caribbean bay with Garifuna culture and the Rio Dulce, where dolphins have been recorded.

Also seen: Dolphins and whales (from the boat, 100 m from large whales, 150 m from dolphins)

Iztapa

Story only

Pacific fishing port where sport boats meet whale sharks in season.

Also seen: Whale sharks (seen from fishing charters, we do not join them)

When: Dec-May. Tourism copy says whale sharks are seen from December to May. This is a fishing fleet first, so we do not offer it.

Animals

Animals recorded in Guatemala

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Common bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bedCommon bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHeavily spotted adult Atlantic spotted dolphin with young, AzoresAtlantic spotted dolphinStenella frontalisSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPantropical spotted dolphin gliding at the calm ocean surfacePantropical spotted dolphinStenella attenuataSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernShort-finned pilot whale surfacing off Tenerife with the island behindShort-finned pilot whaleGlobicephala macrorhynchusSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHumpback whale swimming close with long pectoral finHumpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBull shark swimming in clear blue water off Quintana Roo, MexicoBull sharkCarcharhinus leucasSeen in 30 countries in the AtlasVulnerableHuge spotted whale shark gliding through open blue waterWhale sharkRhincodon typusSeen in 54 countries in the AtlasEndangeredScalloped hammerhead shark cruising in deep blue Red Sea waterScalloped hammerheadSphyrna lewiniSeen in 57 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredTwo spinner dolphins swimming over sand in clear waterSpinner dolphinStenella longirostrisSeen in 66 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSailfish swimming in open blue water, seen from below, with its long bill and tall dorsal finSailfishIstiophorus platypterusSeen in 31 countries in the AtlasVulnerableGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredBryde’s whale surfacing and exhaling in deep blue open oceanBryde's whaleBalaenoptera edeniSeen in 36 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlue whale blowing a tall spout off San DiegoBlue whaleBalaenoptera musculusSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasEndangeredPod of common dolphins surfacing in calm blue seaCommon dolphinDelphinus delphisSeen in 53 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMale magnificent frigatebird perched on a mangrove branchMagnificent frigatebirdFregata magnificensSeen in 52 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernScarred Risso's dolphin spyhopping out of the waterRisso's dolphinGrampus griseusSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernStriped dolphin leaping, dark flank stripe clearly visibleStriped dolphinStenella coeruleoalbaSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo rough-toothed dolphins leaping together, blotchy grey skin visibleRough-toothed dolphinSteno bredanensisSeen in 36 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernOlive ridley turtles nesting on Playa Ostional, Costa RicaOlive ridley turtleLepidochelys olivaceaSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerableDwarf sperm whale leaping clear of the open seaDwarf sperm whaleKogia simaSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWedge-tailed shearwaters resting togetherWedge-tailed shearwaterArdenna pacificaSeen in 46 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMasked booby on Ascension IslandMasked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAdult brown booby standing on a rock with its bill open against blue sky, PrincipeBrown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a red-footed booby head with blue, pink and red bill and throat skin among green leavesRed-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAmerican crocodile resting on a sandy river bank at the water's edge in Costa RicaAmerican crocodileCrocodylus acutusSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasVulnerableCrowd of brown pelicans packed together on a coastal roost, one adult with a pale head and coloured bill facing the cameraBrown pelicanPelecanus occidentalisSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernNeotropic cormorant perched among willow branches beside the waterNeotropic cormorantNannopterum brasilianumSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAnhinga holding a fish in its long, pointed billAnhinga (American darter)Anhinga anhingaSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a double-crested cormorant with an orange-yellow throat patch and a turquoise eyeDouble-crested cormorantPhalacrocorax auritusSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of an adult Nazca booby with a pale orange bill and dark face mask, perched on a rock on EspañolaNazca boobySula grantiSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Curious?

Why this is a story, not a trip

Read our ethics check above. If you would like to talk about it, Rocío is happy to explain.

Ask RocíoBack to the Ocean Atlas

Also in Americas
AntarcticaArgentinaBermudaBrazilCanadaChileColombiaCosta RicaEcuadorEl SalvadorFalkland IslandsFrench GuianaGuyanaMexicoNicaraguaPanamaPeruSurinameUnited StatesUruguay

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