Swim with humpback whales in Moʻorea, September 2027 · from CHF 4,500See the trip →
Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Pacific

Pacific

Samoa

Reef and culture together, with turtles, eagle rays, reef sharks and giant clams.

Lalomanu Beach with Nuutele Island offshore, Upolu, Samoa
Lalomanu Beach, Upolu, Samoa · Photo: Neil, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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 26 Sep 2026. Sources: Best places to see turtles in Samoa (Satoalepai pool, advice to avoid), Samoa Pocket Guide, updated Jul 2026; Survey of turtles in captivity on Savaii, Samoa, SPREP, 2008; Enhancing protection of sharks, whales, dolphins and turtles, Samoa commitment, UN SDG Partnerships.

ScubaWhalesTurtlesSharksCoral reefs

Why Samoa

Humpback whales are only occasional visitors, from July, and are not part of any trip.

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

FijiUpolu and Savaiʻi, Samoa

When to go

Jun-Oct. 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.

Samoa has marine wildlife regulations for sharks, whales, dolphins and turtles, and wild reef days are calm and simple. On Savaii, turtles are kept in a small pool and fed papaya for visitors, and a local guide advises people to skip it. Ocean Calling chooses wild reefs, meets turtles only if they pass by, and watches humpback whales from the boat.

Checked 26 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Samoa

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Upolu and Savaiʻi

Exploring

Reef and culture, with green and hawksbill turtles, eagle rays, reef sharks and giant clams.

🤿 In the water: Green and hawksbill turtles, Eagle rays, Reef sharks, Reef fish, Giant clams

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Humpback whales (occasional, July to November, seen only by chance)

When: Jun-Oct. The dry season runs May to October. Humpbacks may pass from July.

Animals

Animals recorded in Samoa

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

Oceanic whitetip shark with pilot fish in sunlit Red Sea waterOceanic whitetip sharkCarcharhinus longimanusSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredPicasso triggerfish with painted pattern over sand in the MaldivesPicasso triggerfish (lagoon triggerfish)Rhinecanthus aculeatusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHumpback 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 ConcernHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredGiant clam on the reef at Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, AustraliaGiant clamTridacna gigasSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredHumphead wrasse swimming over a coral reef in Raja AmpatHumphead wrasse (Napoleon wrasse)Cheilinus undulatusSeen in 34 countries in the AtlasEndangeredBluestreak cleaner wrasse with black stripe and blue tailBluestreak cleaner wrasseLabroides dimidiatusSeen in 51 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPale 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 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 ConcernBlack noddy perched in a shrub on Tern Island, French Frigate ShoalsBlack noddyAnous minutusSeen in 37 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 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 ConcernTropical shearwater flying low over blue waves, with dark wings and white underpartsTropical shearwaterPuffinus bailloniSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Dreaming of Samoa?

Tell Rocío what you would love to see

There is no trip here yet. If enough people ask, it helps us decide where to go next.

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Also in Pacific
American SamoaAustraliaCook IslandsFijiFrench PolynesiaGuamKiribatiMarshall IslandsNauruNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNiueNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsPapua New GuineaPitcairn IslandsSolomon IslandsTokelauTongaTuvaluVanuatuWallis and Futuna

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