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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

Madagascar

Seasonal whale sharks off Nosy Be and humpback whales watched from the boat during calving.

White sandbar and turquoise water at Nosy Iranja, northwest Madagascar
Nosy Iranja, near Nosy Be · Photo: David Bruyndonckx on Unsplash
Exploring

Ethics pass, with care. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard, as long as we work with the right local operator. Checked by Ocean Calling on 30 Sep 2026. Sources: The legal framework of whale watching in the Indian Ocean, IORA, 2023; Code of Conduct, Madagascar Whale Shark Project; Madagascar Whale Shark Project, Marine Megafauna Foundation.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 5 Oct 2026. The UK FCDO no longer advises against all but essential travel to Madagascar. It still asks visitors to avoid large gatherings and political demonstrations. Madagascar also bars foreign visitors who stayed in or passed through an Ebola-affected country in the previous 21 days, so check your route before you book. Sources: UK FCDO travel advice, Madagascar · UK FCDO entry requirements, Madagascar Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

FreedivingScubaSnorkellingWhalesWhale sharks

Why Madagascar

Nosy Be offers science-led snorkelling with seasonal whale sharks, which often gather from September to December, plus mobula rays, turtles, freediving and scuba. On Île Sainte-Marie, humpback whales are watched from the boat during breeding and calving, roughly June to September, alongside strong citizen-science work. Ifaty and Mangily combine coral reefs, local culture and seasonal humpbacks seen from the boat.

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

FijiTanzaniaDem. Rep. CongoSomaliaKenyaSouth AfricaLesothoFranceZimbabweBotswanaNamibiaCameroonCentral African Rep.CongoGabonEq. GuineaZambiaMalawiMozambiqueeSwatiniAngolaBurundiMadagascarUgandaRwandaIfaty and Mangily, MadagascarNosy Be, MadagascarÎle Sainte-Marie, Madagascar

When to go

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

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass, with care

Good with the right operator. Here is how we choose.

Madagascar has a whale watching code: a trained guide is on board, boats keep a set distance and swimming with whales is not allowed. Since 2023 the Nosy Be whale shark code is also law, because studies show many boats stress the sharks. We watch humpbacks only from the boat, and for whale sharks we choose trained, code following teams, small groups and short, calm swims.

Checked 30 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Madagascar

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Ifaty and Mangily

Exploring

Coral reefs and local culture, with seasonal humpback whales watched from the boat.

🤿 In the water: Coral reef life

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Humpback whales (seasonal)

Nosy Be

Exploring

Science-led snorkelling with seasonal whale sharks, plus freediving and scuba in northwest Madagascar.

🤿 In the water: Whale sharks (seasonal), Mobula rays, Turtles, Reef fish and macro life

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Cetaceans (occasional)

When: Sep-Dec. Whale sharks have gathered here mostly from September to December. Recent seasons reported fewer sightings, so every encounter is wild and never certain.

Île Sainte-Marie

Exploring

Seasonal humpback whales watched from the boat during breeding and calving, with strong citizen-science work.

🤿 In the water: Reef fish, Turtles (possible)

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Humpback whales (seasonal)

When: Jun-Sep. Humpback whales visit roughly June to September or October, during breeding and calving season.

Animals

Animals recorded in Madagascar

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

Humpback whale swimming close with long pectoral finHumpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHuge spotted whale shark gliding through open blue waterWhale sharkRhincodon typusSeen in 54 countries in the AtlasEndangeredBlue-spotted ribbontail ray resting on sand, seen from aboveBlue-spotted ribbontail rayTaeniura lymmaSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPicasso triggerfish with painted pattern over sand in the MaldivesPicasso triggerfish (lagoon triggerfish)Rhinecanthus aculeatusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDay octopus beside a coral head on a sandy Red Sea reefDay octopusOctopus cyaneaSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreen 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 EndangeredLoggerhead turtle at the surface feeding on Portuguese man o' warLoggerhead turtleCaretta carettaSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasVulnerableOmura's whale off northwestern MadagascarOmura's whaleBalaenoptera omuraiSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasData DeficientCommon bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bedCommon bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDugong grazing on seagrass over a sandy seabedDugongDugong dugonSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableScalloped hammerhead shark cruising in deep blue Red Sea waterScalloped hammerheadSphyrna lewiniSeen in 57 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredSchool of bigeye trevally swirling near the seabed at AmedBigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatusSeen in 48 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 ConcernTwo spinner dolphins swimming over sand in clear waterSpinner dolphinStenella longirostrisSeen in 66 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWall of grey reef sharks cruising in blue waterGrey reef sharkCarcharhinus amblyrhynchosSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasEndangeredTiger shark with clear stripes swimming over a reefTiger sharkGaleocerdo cuvierSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedGreat barracuda cruising in open blue water, showing jagged teethGreat barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 84 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGiant oceanic manta with T-shaped white shoulder patches and remorasOceanic manta ray (giant manta)Mobula birostrisSeen in 31 countries in the AtlasEndangeredScarred Risso's dolphin spyhopping out of the waterRisso's dolphinGrampus griseusSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSilvertip shark swimming in open blue waterSilvertip sharkCarcharhinus albimarginatusSeen in 28 countries in the AtlasVulnerableFalse killer whale surging through blue water off Rota, Mariana IslandsFalse killer whalePseudorca crassidensSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedBluestreak cleaner wrasse with black stripe and blue tailBluestreak cleaner wrasseLabroides dimidiatusSeen in 51 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernIndian Ocean humpback dolphin showing its pale dorsal humpIndian Ocean humpback dolphinSousa plumbeaSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasEndangeredPod of bottlenose dolphins swimming over a Red Sea coral reefIndo-Pacific bottlenose dolphinTursiops aduncusSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedLeatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the seaLeatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerableMelon-headed whales leaping together through a splash of white waterMelon-headed whalePeponocephala electraSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPantropical spotted dolphin gliding at the calm ocean surfacePantropical spotted dolphinStenella attenuataSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSilky shark swimming near the surface in blue waterSilky sharkCarcharhinus falciformisSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePale reef stonefish resting between anemones in KwajaleinReef stonefishSynanceia verrucosaSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTitan triggerfish swimming over a reef slope in blue waterTitan triggerfishBalistoides viridescensSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRed lionfish with spread fins over sand in Dauin, PhilippinesLionfish (red and common lionfish)Pterois volitans and Pterois milesSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernCommon octopus crawling over a rocky seabed in FranceCommon octopusOctopus vulgarisSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWedge-tailed shearwaters resting togetherWedge-tailed shearwaterArdenna pacificaSeen in 46 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRed-tailed tropicbird in Glendowie, Auckland, New Zealand, iNaturalist research-grade observationRed-tailed tropicbirdPhaethon rubricaudaSeen in 28 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 ConcernGiant trevally swimming close to a coral head, with small reef fish in blue water behind itGiant trevallyCaranx ignobilisSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMilk sharkRhizoprionodon acutusSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSmall spotted pufferfish swimming just above a sandy seabed, with a yellow-ringed eye; listed on iNaturalist as Torquigener flavimaculosusOrange-spotted toadfishTorquigener hypselogeneionSeen in 10 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat frigatebird in flight, with long angled wings and a forked tailGreat frigatebirdFregata minorSeen in 44 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLesser frigatebird soaring against a blue sky with its wings spread and tail forkedLesser frigatebirdFregata arielSeen in 39 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernReed cormorant perched on a low stump among tall reedsReed cormorant (long-tailed cormorant)Microcarbo africanusSeen in 27 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAfrican darter with wings spread low over the water, droplets flyingAfrican darterAnhinga rufaSeen in 21 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSpinner shark swimming just under the surface of calm water, seen from aboveSpinner sharkCarcharhinus brevipinnaSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSpottail sharkCarcharhinus sorrahSeen in 10 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened
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Swim with humpback whales in Moʻorea, September 2027

from CHF 4,500

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