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Thailand

Whale Watching in Thailand

Gulf of Thailand, Thailand

Did you know you could go whale watching in the Gulf of Thailand?

Yes, right in the Upper Gulf of Thailand you can whale watch for Edend type Bryde’s  Whales (pronounced ‘bruda’). The whales feed in the gulf two different times during the year. First during spring, March through April and then again in the fall during the months September through November.
This is not our first whale watching experience; we have had a few amazing whale watching trips off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. This experience was our very first experience to witness what scientist call “tread-water” feeding which is only seen and experienced here in the Gulf of Thailand.
The normal method of feeding that these whale do anywhere else is called “Lunge feeding” which is an underwater mouth open, full speed ahead gulp … but in the upper Gulf of Thailand, the water is depleted of oxygen, except at the sea surface, so the food supply (i.e. little fish) live close to the surface so the Whales that migrate here modified their foraging strategy to this passive method of eating.
We watched over a dozen whales feed throughout our trip. Our guides were so excited; yelling and pointing each time a whale surfaced.
Wildlife Encounter Thailand Whale Spotter

One of our Whale Watching Spotters

Seeing the whales come out of the water, mouth wide open… birds swooping in for easy pickings and watching them shut their mouths, then roll over to submerge under the water was just spectacular.  The one thing you don’t see here  is their big tail fins… with no deep dives the whales didn’t show off the flipping of thier tails.

Thailand Marine Mammals

The Whale Watch Boat

Thailand Whale Watching Map

Whale Spotting Map

HOW TO BOOK A WHALE WATCHING TOUR IN THAILAND

Who Runs the Whale Watching Tours?

There are a few companies that run tours but we used and would recommend Wild Life Encounters Thailand. Their tag line is “Wildlife Encounter Eco Tourism Expedition for Research and Conservation”. The crew of Wildlife Encounter really are passionate about these marine mammals and uses tour as an opportunity to study and photography the whales in the wild.

Wild Encounter Whale Boat

Whale Watching Boat

Whale Watching Selfie

Selfie on the boat with our friend Merritt

Wild Life Encounter Contact Details

WhatsApp: +66 83 375 9696
  • Direct Message Wild Encounter Thailand to Reserver your seat. We contacted them through Facebook Messenger but you can WhatsApp them or DM them on Instagram.
  • On their Facebook page they usually have the departure schedules
  • They were timely and clear with communication.

Best Time of year for Whale Watching in Thailand

  • March through April
  • September through November

Have a Group?

Private charters are available for group of 15-40 pax booking. Contact Wild Encounter  directly for details, pricing and date options.
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