“FROM END OF AUGUST TO MIDDLE OCTOBER”
Discover with us the joys of spotting, listening to and surveying the blowing giants of the oceans!
MANTA Diving organises boat trips for WHALE WATCHING, carried out to observe marine mammals, especially Humpback whales, on a half-day basis with a marine biologist and a passionate guide certified by CetaMada, an association specialising in the protection of cetaceans in Madagascar.
The two guides will allow spectators not only to observe, but to understand at the same time, what is happening at that moment and all the details of the behaviour and biology of these blowing giants; all in compliance with current local laws and codes of approach so as not to disturb the whales in such a delicate phase of their life as mating and calving and to make our visit environmentally sustainable.
The senses to be used are not only sight but also hearing, which you will need to listen to what mum and whale cub or future boyfriends are telling each other underwater.
The boat is equipped with a hydrophone, an underwater microphone specialised in reproducing, via an amplifier, the famous “songs” of humpback whales, the most complex in the animal kingdom, so complex that it is thought that different pods (groups) of whales have their own “dialect”.
CERTIFIED ACTIVITY
Few people know it, but during the austral winter (late August to mid-October), the sea around Nosy be, on Madagascar’s west coast, offers one of the most fascinating natural spectacles in the world.
Large groups of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) perform their annual migration from Antarctica to the protected waters of the Mozambique Channel.
Here the females give birth and cuddle their young, while the males seek a companion for the new breeding season, improvising spectacular courtship rituals, with pectoral fins beats on the sea surface, large jumps out of the water, allowing the viewer to admire them in all their beauty.
The mothers swim close to the young, nursing and caring for them, so as to give the observer moments of tenderness that are difficult to see elsewhere.
The humpback whale is a social animal living in small groups which migrates seasonally to the South Pole, where it goes for feeding, to the tropical waters for mating and reproducing covering distances of 20000 km per season.
These creatures can grow up to 15 metres long and weigh 45 tons, yet they seem incredibly agile and calm moving elegantly through the clear waters.
The characteristic pectoral fins, very large, about 1/3 long of the body give the name to this species (mega-pteros).
The caudal fin is horizontal, with serrated edges and different designs to differentiate individual from individual like our fingerprints.
Thanks to this characteristic, we will be able together, photos identify the whales that will show themselves in our presence helping the census of these splendid cetaceans.
The small dorsal fin is accompanied by two small humps that characterize the species that is called by the French, baleine à bosse (whale with the hump).
Especially in the month of September, where the concentration of individuals is greater, occasionally you can even see them huffing or jumping directly from land, but the best way to admire them in all their majesty and tenderness, is certainly on board a fast speedboat with a specialized guide who can reveal every secret of these marine mammals.
NOW… ALL YOU NEED IT IS JUST TO GET THE RIGHT TIME… AND GO!!!!!
Half day, from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm with a minimum of 10 adults participating.
Included in the price: boat trip approved for tourist transport and insured for third parties, marine biology lesson on humpback whales, hydrophonic recording of whales singing in case they communicate with each other, water, fruit, sweets and iced tea.
All day in combination with lunch at Nosy Sakatia and snorkeling with big green turtles. From 9:00 am to 4:00 pm with a minimum of 10 participating adults.
Included in the price: boat trip approved for tourist transport and insured for third parties. Marine biology lesson on humpback whales, hydrophonic recording of whales singing in case they communicate each other, marine biology lesson on Chelonia mydas, snorkeling equipment with sea turtles, water, fruit, sweets and iced tea always on board, lunch in Nosy Sakatia including drinks (water, coca-cola, beer and mocha coffee).