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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Caribbean

Caribbean

Martinique

A French island in the same whale sanctuary as Guadeloupe, with a winter whale window on the Caribbean coast.

Humpback whale
Humpback whale, found in the waters of the wider region · Photo: Chinh Le Duc 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: New Rules For Whale Watching, Reserve Naturelle Nationale de Saint-Martin; Sanctuaire Agoa, Figaro Nautisme / Meteoconsult (2026); The cetaceans of Martinique, Martinique Tourism.

Why: Martinique sits inside the Agoa Sanctuary, a protected area of about 143,000 square kilometres where humpback whales arrive from December to April and dolphins and sperm whales can be seen through the year. The rule is simple and kind: nobody goes closer than 300 metres, and only trained captains with state permission may go down to 100 metres. We would choose only an Agoa-trained captain who has signed the sanctuary charter, and we watch from the boat, never swimming with, touching or feeding the animals.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 5 Oct 2026. The UK FCDO travel advice for Martinique, last updated on 10 Dec 2025, notes that the hurricane season normally runs from June to November and that Mount Pelee is active. Sources: UK FCDO travel advice, Martinique Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

WhalesDolphinsWildlife watching

Why Martinique

People come for beaches, rum, Mount Pelee and the south coast. Humpback whales pass in season. Sperm whales return to warm waters from January to May to breed, and several dolphins are recorded. The sea is part of the Agoa sanctuary, with a 300 m distance for everybody and no swimming, feeding or touching.

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

United States of AmericaHaitiDominican Rep.BahamasMexicoBrazilPeruColombiaPanamaCosta RicaNicaraguaHondurasEl SalvadorGuatemalaBelizeVenezuelaGuyanaSurinameFranceEcuadorPuerto RicoJamaicaCubaTrinidad and TobagoLe Carbet and the Caribbean coast, Martinique

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 Martinique

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

Le Carbet and the Caribbean coast

Story only

A west coast stretch where humpback whales are watched from the boat in season.

Also seen: Humpback whales in season, from the boat only, Sperm whales (January to May) and dolphins are recorded, with no promise

Animals

Animals recorded in Martinique

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 ConcernSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 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 EndangeredCommon bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bedCommon bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLoggerhead turtle at the surface feeding on Portuguese man o' warLoggerhead turtleCaretta carettaSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasVulnerableShort-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 ConcernMinke whale surfacing and exhaling, seen from aboveCommon minke whale (North Atlantic)Balaenoptera acutorostrataSeen in 30 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat barracuda cruising in open blue water, showing jagged teethGreat barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 84 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 ConcernDwarf minke whaleBalaenoptera acutorostrata (dwarf form)Seen in 30 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHeavily spotted adult Atlantic spotted dolphin with young, AzoresAtlantic spotted dolphinStenella frontalisSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernCuvier's beaked whale surfacing, pale scarred head and small dorsal finCuvier's beaked whaleZiphius cavirostrisSeen in 42 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernFraser's dolphin porpoising out of the waterFraser's dolphinLagenodelphis hoseiSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLeatherback 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 ConcernTwo rough-toothed dolphins leaping together, blotchy grey skin visibleRough-toothed dolphinSteno bredanensisSeen in 36 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPygmy killer whale surfacing in turquoise waterPygmy killer whaleFeresa attenuataSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDwarf sperm whale leaping clear of the open seaDwarf sperm whaleKogia simaSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWhitespotted eagle ray gliding over reef and sand in BelizeWhitespotted eagle rayAetobatus narinariSeen in 58 countries in the AtlasEndangeredSouthern stingray resting on white sand, St John, US Virgin IslandsSouthern stingrayHypanus americanusSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedRed 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 ConcernLongsnout seahorse holding a red sponge stalk with its tail against blue waterLongsnout seahorseHippocampus reidiSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedNassau grouper with its mouth open, photographed at Los Indios in Jardines de la Reina, CubaNassau grouperEpinephelus striatusSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredMasked booby on Ascension IslandMasked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernQueen conch with a reddish spiny shell resting on seagrass over sandy seabedQueen conchAliger gigasSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedAdult 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 ConcernCrowd 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 ConcernTwo Gervais' beaked whales at the surface in the Gulf Stream off North CarolinaGervais' beaked whaleMesoplodon europaeusSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernCaribbean spiny lobster at the edge of a reef overhang with long antennae trailing across sandCaribbean spiny lobsterPanulirus argusSeen in 30 countries in the AtlasData DeficientSargasso shearwater gliding over a grey sea, dark above and pale belowSargasso shearwater (Audubon's shearwater)Puffinus lherminieriSeen in 27 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 Caribbean
AnguillaAntigua and BarbudaArubaThe BahamasBarbadosBelizeBritish Virgin IslandsCaribbean NetherlandsCayman IslandsCubaCuraçaoDominicaDominican RepublicGrenadaGuadeloupeHaitiHondurasJamaicaMontserratPuerto RicoSaint BarthélemySaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSint MaartenTrinidad and TobagoTurks and Caicos IslandsUS Virgin IslandsVenezuela

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