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Fully booked
Mo’orea, French Polynesia · 22–28 August 2027
French Polynesia
Swim with humpback whales in the South Pacific.
When
22–28 Aug 2027
7 days · 5 days on the water
Where
Mo’orea
30-min ferry from Tahiti
Who
Just 5 guests
Fully booked · waitlist open
From
$5,750 pp
2028 dates on request
The yellow lizard island
Jagged volcanic peaks, a lagoon like glass
Mo’orea is a South Pacific island in French Polynesia’s Society Islands, a thirty-minute ferry ride from Tahiti. Its name means yellow lizard, from mo’o for lizard and rea for yellow. It is famous for its jagged volcanic mountains rising straight out of a crystal-clear lagoon.
We stay in a house right on the ocean and spend our days out on the boat. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever put my face in the water, and one of the very few places on Earth where you are allowed to swim with humpback whales.
Our main characters
Humpbacks, all the way from Antarctica
From August to October, humpback whales migrate thousands of kilometres from Antarctica to French Polynesia to breed and give birth. August sits right at the start of that season, when mothers arrive with brand new calves and males sing in the deep water off the reef.
These islands are classified as wildlife sanctuaries and whale watching is strictly regulated. We observe from the boat first and read the whales’ behaviour, whether they are socialising, resting or travelling, and only then decide whether to slip in. The whales always have the final say.
Aug–Oct
The humpback breeding season in French Polynesia
5 days
On the water searching, four full days and one half day
Snorkel
Freediving and snorkelling only, never scuba around whales
Out in the blue
Who else you might meet
Five days in open Pacific water means the whales are only part of the story. We also have the chance of pelagic encounters with pilot whales, rough-toothed and spinner dolphins, and oceanic white-tip sharks. Nothing is guaranteed, which is exactly what makes each day its own.
Pilot whales
Tight-knit family pods cruising the deep water, curious and utterly calm.
Dolphins
Spinner and rough-toothed dolphins, often riding the bow or spinning clean out of the water.
Breaching giants
Sometimes the whales announce themselves from the surface, breaching and tail-slapping just metres from where you float.
The lagoon sandbar
We anchor in the shallows to swim with stingrays and blacktip reef sharks in bathwater-clear water.
The shape of the week
Day by day
Day 1
Arrival
Fly into Tahiti and take the ferry across to Mo’orea. You’ll be picked up and brought to the house, we run through the safety briefing for the week, and then we all sit down to a welcome dinner together.
Days 2–6
Boat days
Breakfast at the house, then out early on the boat to spend the day searching for humpbacks, with lunch brought along with us. One day we dock in the lagoon to swim with blacktip reef sharks and stingrays. One is a half day on the water, with the other half spent on a safari tour around the island. Evenings are for catching the sunset and eating together.
Day 7
Departure
Check out around 10am, with transport to the ferry back to Tahiti, or onward if you’re staying longer in Mo’orea.
Above the surface
Island time, too
A half day of the week is given over to a guided safari tour of Mo’orea, up into the jagged interior for the pineapple fields, the lookouts over Cook’s and Opunohu bays, and views back down over that impossible lagoon.
The rest of the time is deliberately unhurried. We stay in a shared house on the ocean with a small group of like-minded people, eat three meals a day together, and let the days settle into the rhythm of the water.
What’s included
Shared accommodation on the ocean
5 days on the water, 4 full & 1 half
Half-day island safari tour
Transport on Mo’orea & to the boat
3 meals a day
Experienced local captain & guide
Digital photos of the trip
5 days on the water, 4 full & 1 half
Half-day island safari tour
Transport on Mo’orea & to the boat
3 meals a day
Experienced local captain & guide
Digital photos of the trip
Not included
Airfare (PPT is the airport code)
Accommodation & transport on Tahiti
Ferry transportation
Travel medical insurance (required)
Car or scooter hire
Personal expenses
Gratuity for captain & guide
Accommodation & transport on Tahiti
Ferry transportation
Travel medical insurance (required)
Car or scooter hire
Personal expenses
Gratuity for captain & guide
$5,750 per person, with a $1,400 deposit to hold your place. Tipping the captain and guide is highly recommended.
Before you book
Is this expedition for you?
In the water
Snorkelling and freediving only, no scuba. You need to be a confident swimmer in open ocean, comfortable getting in and out of a boat in swell. No certification required.
Just five guests
This is the smallest group we run, and it is regulated that way for the whales’ sake as much as ours. Places are extremely limited.
The honest part
Interactions are never guaranteed. We follow the sanctuary rules and the whales’ own behaviour, which means some days we watch from the boat. That restraint is the whole point.
Our partner
In partnership with Wander Out Expeditions
We run this one alongside Kelsey at Wander Out Expeditions, a storyteller, explorer and expedition leader on a mission to reconnect people with the wild. She designs intentional, immersive journeys that awaken wonder and a deeper love for the planet, which is exactly the way I like to travel too.
View trip details & availability
This expedition is fully booked
Join the waitlist for the next one
All five places for August 2027 are taken. Send me a message to go on the waitlist for a cancellation, or to be first to hear when the next humpback expedition opens.
Wild Mermaid
Intimate ocean expeditions · Mo’orea, August 2027
All photographs on this page by Kelsey, Wander Out Expeditions
All photographs on this page by Kelsey, Wander Out Expeditions