Types of Whales Around Maldives – A Whale of a Time!

The largest marine mammal has been recently spotted swimming along the warm waters of the Maldives. Quite a rare sight, the blue whales are known to be an endangered species due to many human conflicts where they have been poached and killed for various reasons. Blue whales were poached during the 20th century and was the main whaling target, which led to them, being listed on the endangered species list. Blue whales can grow to the length of 80 -100 feet and are currently believed to be the largest animal on earth. While on your whale watching tour, blue whale sightings might be somewhat low, but do keep a keen eye out for these majestic giants of the sea.

The warm waters of the Indian Ocean have been known to attract False killer whales. Despite its name, the False killer whale actually belongs to the dolphin family and is known to be the fourth largest in the dolphin family group. They usually live in the warm tropical waters of the world, and takes its name after the killer whales, due to its many characteristics, such as its appearance and its feeding habits- where they attack and then kill quite a number of marine mammals, like seals.

Whale sharks are possibly the most common whales that can be spotted during your whale watching tour in Maldives. Water sports such as snorkelling and diving are also a great way to explore the beautiful marine life and if you're lucky enough, you'll even find yourself swimming next to a whale shark. Keep in mind not to get too close to these large mammals though, as you might scare them or potentially disrupt their behavioural patterns. Diving is probably the greatest experience you'll ever have if you're visiting Maldives, as some hotels and resorts such as Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort, offer diving lessons that will prepare you for this fun water activity, where you may have a chance to swim with whale sharks and plenty of other sea creatures.

Sperm whales are known to be one the rarely sighted whales in the world, as they quite rarely surface the water. They are known to be the only mammal that can dive to the deepest depth of the ocean – sometimes even up to 2 -3 km! As most whales around the world face extinction due to selfish human greed, sperm whales have been listed in the endangered species category. However, lately the Maldives has spotted two sperm whales nursing their calves. Sperm whales are known to have the biggest brains amongst other living animals.

Bryde whales are also commonly sighted in the temperate and tropical waters of the ocean, mainly the Indian Ocean. Bryde whales usually dive for about 15 minutes before they surface the water again for about 4 to 7 blows. They are known to reach a depth of about 300 meters and are a common sight in the Indian Ocean.