Whale Watching in Tahiti

The short answer

Yes, you can go whale watching from Tahiti. Licensed boats leave from Papeete and from Marina Taina in Punaauia on the west coast between July 20 and November 20, and the Tahiti departures on this site cost from $121 to $226 per person for about four hours on the water. Each operator also offers a chance to swim when conditions allow. If you are staying on Tahiti, a Tahiti departure saves you the ferry to Moorea and back.

This page books Wild Explorer Tahiti’s small-group tour, which takes a maximum of 6 guests and leaves from the Paofai Gardens pontoon in Papeete. It is from $226 per person with a 4.8 rating from 93 reviews on Viator. The same tour is sold on GetYourGuide from $222, with 5.0 from 4 reviews so far. Our Wild Explorer Tahiti breakdown has the detail.

Where Tahiti whale boats leave from

Each departure on this site starts somewhere different, so check the meeting point against where you are staying.

• Papeete waterfront: Wild Explorer Tahiti boards on the pontoon at Paofai Gardens, to the left of Le Moana restaurant as you face the sea. The GetYourGuide version gives the address as Boulevard de la Reine Pomare IV, Papeete. Transfers from your hotel are not included.
• Marina Taina, Punaauia: Tahiti Ocean Explorer asks you to go straight to the marina, in front of the Casa Bianca restaurant.
• Hotel pickup: Tahiti by Boat collects from the Hilton Hotel Tahiti, InterContinental Resort Tahiti, Te Moana Tahiti Resort, Hotel Tahiti Nui, Hotel Sarah Nui, Royal Tahitien and Tahiti Lagoon Resort. Pickup is included for groups of four or more on one booking, and the listing asks you to email to confirm it. It does not publish a meeting point for smaller groups.

The Tahiti departures, compared

• Tahiti Ocean Explorer’s 4-hour whale watch, from $121 per person, 4.8 from 42 reviews, is the lowest-priced whale tour on this site. Naturalist guides watch from the boat first, and the boat carries a hydrophone so you can hear the whales sing. If you select the swim option and conditions allow, you can snorkel with the whales; snorkeling experience is mandatory. Water, snacks, tea, coffee and snorkeling gear are included, and guides speak English, Spanish and French. Our notes.
• Tahiti by Boat’s whale watching tour, from $219 per person, rates 4.0 from 89 reviews. The boat takes a maximum of 12 passengers, drinks, fruit and snorkeling gear are included, and you may get in the water if conditions allow. Our notes.
• Wild Explorer Tahiti, from $226 per person, is the only Tahiti departure here that includes wetsuits. It also includes snorkeling gear, snacks and a 2 m by 2.5 m sled at the back of the boat for getting in and out of the water. Swimmers must be at least 15, and the GetYourGuide version is not suitable for children under 11 or guests over 75.

The comparison table above lines them up side by side.

Swimming with whales off Tahiti

The rules at Tahiti are the same as at Moorea. Tours run only in the open ocean, never inside the lagoon or the passes. Licensed boats stop 100 m from a whale, swimmers keep at least 15 m away, and no more than seven people per boat can be in the water, guide included. Operators require a life jacket unless you wear a wetsuit. None of the Tahiti listings promises a sighting or a swim. Our how to swim with whales guide covers the rules, safety and ethics, and they apply off Tahiti too.

Humpbacks are regularly seen off Tahiti’s west coast, the Punaauia side that faces Moorea across the same channel.

Tahiti or Moorea?

If you are based on Tahiti for a day or two, a Tahiti departure is the simple choice: no ferry, and the boats leave from Papeete or Marina Taina or collect you from your hotel. If you are staying on Moorea, book a Moorea boat; the island is about 17 km (10 nautical miles) from Tahiti, and the Papeete to Vaiare ferry takes about 25 to 45 minutes each way. Our Tahiti or Moorea guide weighs the two in full, and the Moorea whale tours on the homepage cover the other side of the channel.

Before you book

Tahiti whale trips are open-ocean trips in small boats, so if you get seasick, take a tablet before you board. Wild Explorer Tahiti does not recommend the tour for pregnant travelers, people with spinal injuries or those with poor cardiovascular health. For the season month by month, read our best time guide, and for prices across both islands, the cost guide.