Whale Watching
The Bazaruto Archipelago must be one of the most ideal whale and dolphin watching locations in the world. We are extremely lucky to find these mammals in the very calm, shallow water behind the islands.
The first Humpback whales are normally seen in the Bazaruto Archipelago from about the beginning of July as they travel northwards against the Mozambique current on their way to warmer waters to mate and give birth. From about mid Septemper you will see them on their way south again to feed in the nutrient rich colder waters. Humpback whales normally migrate about 25000km in a single year.
These whales can grow to 16m in length and weigh about 36,000 kg. They have a lifespan of 45 to 100years. The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviour, making it popular with whale watchers.
They are baleen whales which use their baleen or filter-feeder system inside their mouths to feed on krill and plankton. The baleen system functions when a whale opens its mouth and inhales water. The whale then pushes the water out, and sources of food such as krill are filtered by the baleen and gets ingested. Baleen is made of keratin, the same substance found in human fingernails and hair.
Baleen Whales can be found in almost all oceans and all species travel seasonally. These migrations are affected by climate changes, water temperature, depth, salinity, topography of the sea floor, and of course the abundance of food.
The humpback whales sing spine-chilling songs – the male makes the long, loud, complex “songs” for which the species is famous for and which can last up to 20 minutes long and travel a distance up to 10 000 miles in some levels of the ocean. Humpbacks may sing continuously for more than 24 hours but because they have no vocal cords, these whales sing by forcing air through their massive nasal cavities!
Dolphins are almost always also seen on the whale watching tours. Humpback dolphin, bottlenose dolphin and spinner dolphin are some of the other mammals you can see on these trips.
Big Blue has the boats and the skippers with the knowledge of these animals and areas to give you the experience of a lifetime. After you have seen the whales you will be taken to an Island to go have some lunch and relax on the beautiful white beaches of Mozambique.