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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

Réunion

A volcanic island with reef diving and regulated in-water humpback whale encounters with licensed guides.

Clear lagoon water below basalt cliffs at Boucan Canot, Reunion
Boucan Canot, west coast of Reunion · Photo: Tropic Alizé 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 29 Sep 2026. Sources: Pour les cetaces, une reglementation locale dans un cadre national, DEAL Reunion, 2025; Assessing and mitigating humpback whale disturbance of whale watching activities in Reunion Island, Tourism in Marine Environments, 2020; Observation des baleines: la nouvelle reglementation fait des vagues, Imaz Press.

FreedivingScubaWhalesTurtlesDolphins

Why Réunion

Réunion is a volcanic island for reef diving and freediving, with reef fish and turtles. Humpback whales visit from June to October, and regulated in-water whale encounters with licensed guides run from July to September. Dolphins may be seen from the boat. As with all wildlife, sightings are never certain.

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

FijiTanzaniaDem. Rep. CongoSouth AfricaLesothoZimbabweBotswanaNamibiaZambiaMalawiMozambiqueeSwatiniAngolaMadagascarRéunion, Réunion

When to go

Jul-Sep. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check 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.

Reunion has a state rule for whales and dolphins, renewed in 2025: boats keep their distance, speed is limited in whale season, and only qualified guides may bring swimmers into the water. Studies found that too many boats can disturb humpbacks here. So we join only small, qualified teams, keep swims short and calm, never approach mothers and calves, and watch dolphins from the boat.

Checked 29 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Réunion

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Réunion

Exploring

A volcanic island for reef diving and freediving, with seasonal humpbacks and regulated in-water whale encounters with licensed guides.

🤿 In the water: Reef fish, Turtles

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Humpback whales (seasonal), Indo-Pacific bottlenose (resident, from the boat), Spinner dolphins (year-round, from the boat), Humpback whales (seasonal, from the boat)

When: Jul-Sep. Humpbacks visit June to October. Regulated in-water encounters run July to September.

Rules and fees: We found no confirmed written rule for swimming with whales here, so we only watch them from a licensed boat and do not offer a swim.

Animals

Animals recorded in Réunion

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

Land animals
Humpback whale swimming close with long pectoral finHumpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 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 ConcernTiger shark with clear stripes swimming over a reefTiger sharkGaleocerdo cuvierSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedFraser's dolphin porpoising out of the waterFraser's dolphinLagenodelphis hoseiSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernCommon bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bedCommon bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPod of bottlenose dolphins swimming over a Red Sea coral reefIndo-Pacific bottlenose dolphinTursiops aduncusSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedPantropical spotted dolphin gliding at the calm ocean surfacePantropical spotted dolphinStenella attenuataSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo spinner dolphins swimming over sand in clear waterSpinner dolphinStenella longirostrisSeen in 66 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBull shark swimming in clear blue water off Quintana Roo, MexicoBull sharkCarcharhinus leucasSeen in 30 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePale reef stonefish resting between anemones in KwajaleinReef stonefishSynanceia verrucosaSeen in 25 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 ConcernWell camouflaged scorpionfish on dark sand in Lembeh StraitScorpionfishScorpaenopsis speciesSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasVaries by speciesTitan triggerfish swimming over a reef slope in blue waterTitan triggerfishBalistoides viridescensSeen in 40 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 ConcernClown triggerfish with big white spots over reef in the Coral SeaClown triggerfishBalistoides conspicillumSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDay octopus beside a coral head on a sandy Red Sea reefDay octopusOctopus cyaneaSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableLoggerhead turtle at the surface feeding on Portuguese man o' warLoggerhead turtleCaretta carettaSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasVulnerableOrcas surfacing close together in calm Arctic Norwegian watersOrca (killer whale)Orcinus orcaSeen in 55 countries in the AtlasData DeficientSchool 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 ConcernGreat barracuda cruising in open blue water, showing jagged teethGreat barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 84 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWhite-spotted eagle rays gliding over coral at Heron Island, Great Barrier ReefSpotted eagle ray (ocellated eagle ray)Aetobatus ocellatusSeen in 28 countries in the AtlasEndangeredStriped dolphin leaping, dark flank stripe clearly visibleStriped dolphinStenella coeruleoalbaSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernFalse 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 ConcernCuvier's beaked whale surfacing, pale scarred head and small dorsal finCuvier's beaked whaleZiphius cavirostrisSeen in 42 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMelon-headed whales leaping together through a splash of white waterMelon-headed whalePeponocephala electraSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAdult male Blainville's beaked whale surfacing in the BahamasBlainville's beaked whaleMesoplodon densirostrisSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDwarf sperm whale leaping clear of the open seaDwarf sperm whaleKogia simaSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRound ribbontail ray swimming over rocks at Santa Cruz, GalápagosRound ribbontail rayTaeniurops meyeniSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasVulnerableShortfin mako shark at Condor Bank in the North Atlantic, AzoresShortfin makoIsurus oxyrinchusSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasEndangeredTwo pygmy sperm whales at the sea surface off the Azores, low backs and small hooked dorsal fins showingPygmy sperm whaleKogia brevicepsSeen in 23 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 ConcernAtlantic bluefin tuna leaping out of choppy water, recorded in Hovedstaden, DenmarkAtlantic bluefin tunaThunnus thynnusSeen in 39 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAldabra giant tortoise walking across short grass with its head raisedAldabra giant tortoiseAldabrachelys giganteaSeen in 4 countries in the AtlasLives on landVulnerableSargasso shearwater gliding over a grey sea, dark above and pale belowSargasso shearwater (Audubon's shearwater)Puffinus lherminieriSeen in 27 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBulwer's petrel flying low over blue water, its long pointed tail visibleBulwer's petrelBulweria bulweriiSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTropical shearwater flying low over blue waves, with dark wings and white underpartsTropical shearwaterPuffinus bailloniSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern

Read before you go

Planning and destinationsJul-Oct Whale Season: How to Choose One Place, Not FiveRead ↗Whales and wildlife ethicsRéunion's Morning-Only Whale Rule, ExplainedRead ↗Whales and wildlife ethicsMoorea vs Tonga vs RéunionRead ↗Whales and wildlife ethicsWhere to See Tiger Sharks in the World, HonestlyRead ↗Responsible travel and conservationHow “Ethical” Dolphin Tours Turn Into ChasesRead ↗Whales and wildlife ethicsHow to Choose an Ethical Whale Swim Operator: 4 Questions to AskRead ↗
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