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

Ocean Atlas · Asia

Asia

South Korea

Jeju holds about 120 wild bottlenose dolphins that can be seen from the shore. We share the story only.

Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, found in the waters of the wider region · Photo: Oleksandr Sushko 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: South Korea seeks to protect threatened pod of dolphins - Good Good Good; Jeju Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, May 2026 - Financial News (fnnews); Hit TV series leads to surge in visitors seeking dolphins - The Korea Times.

Why: Jeju is home to about 120 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins found nowhere else in Korea, and in April 2025 a 2.36 square kilometre Marine Protected Area off Sindori became the country's first dolphin habitat reserve. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries asks boats to stay at least 50 m away, and the province is raising funds for land-based observation decks so people can enjoy the dolphins without more boats. We give them space and plan to watch only from shore, never swimming with or touching them.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. The US State Department rates South Korea at Level 1, exercise normal precautions, in an advisory from 28 May 2025. Smartraveller notes that large protests are common in Seoul and that North Korea sometimes conducts missile launches. Sources: US State Department travel advisory, South Korea · Smartraveller travel advice, South Korea Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

DolphinsWildlife watching

Why South Korea

People come to South Korea for Seoul, Busan and Jeju, and wildlife is a Jeju add-on. About 120 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins live off Jeju all year, and you can see them from land. In 2025 a small area at Sindori was named their first marine protected area. Boats must stay at least 50 m away, and swimming with or feeding them is not allowed. We offer no trips here.

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

RussiaThailandLaosMyanmarVietnamNorth KoreaSouth KoreaMongoliaIndiaBangladeshBhutanChinaTaiwanPhilippinesJapanSindori, Jeju, South Korea

When to go

Year-round. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check 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 South Korea

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

Sindori, Jeju

Story only

A small marine protected area for Jeju's resident dolphins, designated in April 2025.

Also seen: Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (from the shore)

When: Year-round. The dolphins are present all year and can be seen from land.

Animals

Animals recorded in South Korea

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

Land animals
Pod of bottlenose dolphins swimming over a Red Sea coral reefIndo-Pacific bottlenose dolphinTursiops aduncusSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedHuge spotted whale shark gliding through open blue waterWhale sharkRhincodon typusSeen in 54 countries in the AtlasEndangeredYangtze finless porpoises, the freshwater form of this species, in the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of SciencesNarrow-ridged finless porpoiseNeophocaena asiaeorientalisSeen in 3 countries in the AtlasEndangeredSpotted seal with its dark-spotted coat, photographed by NOAA Fisheries staffSpotted sealPhoca larghaSeen in 5 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 ConcernLoggerhead turtle at the surface feeding on Portuguese man o' warLoggerhead turtleCaretta carettaSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSchool of bigeye trevally swirling near the seabed at AmedBigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatusSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBronze whaler shark swimming in green-blue waterBronze whaler (copper shark)Carcharhinus brachyurusSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasVulnerableMoon jellyfish in a harbour in Zeeland, NetherlandsMoon jellyfishAurelia aurita and other Aurelia speciesSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedCommon octopus crawling over a rocky seabed in FranceCommon octopusOctopus vulgarisSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSmooth hammerhead swimming in clear blue open water off SpainSmooth hammerheadSphyrna zygaenaSeen in 26 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSpiny dogfish resting on the seabed at the Josephine Marie shipwreck, Stellwagen Bank National Marine SanctuarySpiny dogfishSqualus acanthiasSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBlack-faced spoonbill in Taiwan, TW, iNaturalist research-grade observationBlack-faced spoonbillPlatalea minorSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasLives on landVulnerableGiant Pacific octopus on the seabed at 65 m depth off Point Pinos, California, filmed by a research submersibleGiant Pacific octopusEnteroctopus dofleiniSeen in 5 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWhite-tailed eagle in flight low over calm water with a fish in its talons, near Raftsund, Lofoten, NorwayWhite-tailed eagleHaliaeetus albicillaSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast ConcernCommon dolphins feeding on a dense shoal of sardines off the east coast of South Africa during the sardine runSouthern African sardine (sardine run)Sardinops sagaxSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat cormorant perched on a branch, with white head plumes and a glossy blue-black backGreat cormorantPhalacrocorax carboSeen in 90 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernShort-tailed shearwater resting on the open seaShort-tailed shearwaterArdenna tenuirostrisSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSwinhoe's storm-petrel flying low over a grey sea, seen at a distanceSwinhoe's storm-petrelHydrobates monorhisSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedPelagic cormorant standing on a rock with wings held open to dryPelagic cormorantUrile pelagicusSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernJapanese cormorant perched on a rock against blue sky with its bill open, white throat and cheeks showingJapanese cormorantPhalacrocorax capillatusSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernNorth Pacific right whale rolling at the surface in the Bering Sea, rough head callosities visibleNorth Pacific right whaleEubalaena japonicaSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasEndangered
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 Asia
BangladeshBruneiCambodiaChinaHong KongIndonesiaJapanLaosMacauMalaysiaMicronesia (FSM)MyanmarNorth KoreaPalauPhilippinesSingaporeTaiwanThailandTimor-LesteVietnam

← Back to the Ocean Atlas

For partners

Based in South Korea?

We are always happy to hear from exceptional local operators, accommodation, conservation organisations and destination experts in South Korea. If your work fits responsible, small-group ocean travel, we would love to learn more.

Partner with Ocean Calling
You might like

5-day freediving course in Bali

CHF 1,180

See the trip →