Indonesian seas are home to a wealth of whales and dolphins, with the deep-water channels between the islands being particularly productive. Eighteen species have been recorded from around Komodo alone. The tropical cetaceans we will be looking for include Spinner, Spotted, Indo-pacific Bottlenose, Fraser’s and Rough-toothed Dolphins, as well as Melon-headed, False Killer and Pygmy Killer Whales. But a particular target will be Eden’s Whale, the little-known tropical baleen species.

We will anchor most nights in a sheltered spot, giving opportunities for snorkelling on the coral reefs and for island visits. And a special highlight of this trip will be our two full days in Komodo National Park, with trips ashore to see the very impressive Komodo Dragons (and where we also expect to snorkel with Mantas).

Day 1

‍Board our expedition vessel in Bali and cruise to Nusa Penida Island, looking out for dolphins en-route. There may be time for a coral reef snorkel after anchoring. After sunset tonight there will be an orientation talk, and on most other nights there will be a slide show.

Days 2-3

‍We will slowly work our way eastwards, past the islands of Lombok and Sumbawa, looking out along the way for whales and dolphins, flying fish and seabirds. There will be opportunities for snorkeling on the coral reefs and for island visits.

Day 4-6

‍We plan to have three full days within the Komodo National Park. There should be time to visit both Komodo and Rinca Islands to see the extremely impressive Komodo Dragons, and other wildlife. We will snorkel on some of the superb coral reefs, and hope to encounter Manta Rays at one site. And of course our main aim will still be locating and observing whales and dolphins.

Day 7-9

‍We return westwards to Bali by a similar route to that taken out, with plenty more time for whale and dolphin watching. However, we do expect to use different anchorages, allowing us to snorkel on different reefs and perhaps also to visit different islands.

Day 10

‍After breakfast we will sadly have to disembark and transfer to accommodation ashore or to the International Airport for flights home.

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CETACEANS

On our trips from Bali to Komodo, we see hundreds of Spinner Dolphins and Spotted Dolphins. However, the small cetaceans of greatest interest are perhaps the Melon-headed Whales and Fraser’s Dolphins, which we regularly see in large mixed schools. Among the larger whales, Sperm Whales are not uncommon, while Blue Whales also occur. These Blue Whales feed off Western Australia in the southern summer and migrate into the Banda Sea for the southern winter. They pass through the channels between the eastern Lesser Sunda Islands, so our sightings become more frequent the further east we travel. In all we have positively identified 14 species of cetacean on these trips:

Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus

Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus

Dwarf Sperm Whale Kogia sima

Spinner Dolphin Stenella longirostris

Spotted Dolphin Stenella attenuata

Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus

Indo-pacific Bottlenose Tursiops aduncus

Fraser’s Dolphin Lagenodelphis hosei

Rough-toothed Dolphin Steno bredanensis

Risso’s Dolphin Grampus griseus

Shortfin Pilot Whale Globicephala macrorhynchus

Melon-headed Whale Peponocephala electra

Pygmy Killer Whale Feresa attenuata

False Killer Whale Pseudorca crassidens

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Destination

Indonesia (Bali - Komodo)

CETACEANS

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