Ocean safari tours combine the thrill of exploring the open sea with the excitement of encountering marine life. From whale watching to dolphin sightings and snorkelling with sea turtles, here are 20 coastal towns known for offering the best ocean safari tours around the world:
1. Hermanus, South Africa
- Best Ocean Safari: Whale Watching Tour
- Known as the whale watching capital of the world, Hermanus offers incredible ocean safari tours with close-up encounters with Southern Right Whales, as well as dolphins, seals, and penguins.
2. Kaikoura, New Zealand
- Best Ocean Safari: Whale Watching & Dolphin Tours
- Kaikoura is famous for its sperm whale sightings, along with opportunities to see dolphins, orcas, and various seabird species on boat tours.
3. Byron Bay, Australia
- Best Ocean Safari: Dolphin & Whale Watching Tour
- Byron Bay is a prime spot for seeing humpback whales, dolphins, and turtles. The tours offer sightings along with the chance to snorkel in protected marine areas.
4. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Best Ocean Safari: Whale Watching & Sea Lion Tours
- Victoria offers some of the best whale-watching tours in the world, particularly for orcas, humpbacks, and gray whales, along with seals and sea lions.
5. Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
- Best Ocean Safari: Snorkeling with Sea Lions and Turtles
- The Galápagos offer an unforgettable ocean safari experience with opportunities to swim with sea lions, giant tortoises, manta rays, and hammerhead sharks.
6. Baja California, Mexico
- Best Ocean Safari: Gray Whale Watching Tours
- Baja California is famous for its annual migration of gray whales. Tourists can get close-up encounters with these giants, as well as dolphins, sea lions, and even orcas.
7. Reykjavik, Iceland
- Best Ocean Safari: Whale Watching & Puffin Tours
- Reykjavik offers one of the best whale-watching experiences in Europe, where you can spot humpback whales, minke whales, and puffins along with other seabirds.
8. Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA
- Best Ocean Safari: Whale Watching & Seal Tours
- Cape Cod provides whale watching tours that are perfect for spotting humpbacks, finbacks, and minke whales, as well as seals and porpoises.
9. Monterey, California, USA
- Best Ocean Safari: Whale Watching & Sea Otter Tours
- Monterey Bay is home to a rich variety of marine life, including migrating whales, sea otters, dolphins, and sea lions, on year-round tours.
10. Durban, South Africa
- Best Ocean Safari: Shark Diving & Whale Watching
- Durban is a hub for ocean safaris that offer unique experiences like cage diving with sharks, as well as watching migrating whales, dolphins, and turtles.
11. Nosy Be, Madagascar
- Best Ocean Safari: Whale Shark & Humpback Whale Watching
- Nosy Be is known for its incredible whale shark sightings, along with humpback whales and a range of tropical marine species, including turtles and dolphins.
12. Azores Islands, Portugal
- Best Ocean Safari: Whale Watching & Dolphin Tours
- The Azores offer some of the best whale-watching tours in Europe, with sightings of sperm whales, fin whales, and dolphins year-round, along with the chance to dive or snorkel with them.
13. Zanzibar, Tanzania
- Best Ocean Safari: Dolphin & Snorkeling Tours
- Zanzibar offers thrilling dolphin tours where you can swim alongside wild dolphins, plus snorkeling in the Indian Ocean to see tropical fish and coral reefs.
14. Sri Lanka (Mirissa)
- Best Ocean Safari: Whale Watching & Dolphin Safari
- Mirissa is one of the best places in the world for spotting blue whales, sperm whales, and dolphins, with eco-friendly boat tours that provide a close-up view of these magnificent creatures.
15. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- Best Ocean Safari: Snorkeling with Stingrays & Dolphins
- Punta Cana offers exciting ocean safari tours to interact with dolphins, stingrays, and sea turtles, as well as to snorkel over coral reefs.
16. Phuket, Thailand
- Best Ocean Safari: Similan Islands Diving & Snorkeling
- Phuket is the gateway to the Similan Islands, offering world-class scuba diving and snorkeling tours with encounters with manta rays, whale sharks, and vibrant marine life.
17. Gansbaai, South Africa
- Best Ocean Safari: Great White Shark Diving
- Famous for its shark cage diving tours, Gansbaai is a must-visit destination for thrill-seekers wanting to see great white sharks up close in their natural habitat.
18. Seychelles
- Best Ocean Safari: Turtle Watching & Snorkeling
- The islands of Seychelles offer pristine beaches and crystal-clear waters, perfect for snorkeling with giant turtles, rays, and colorful fish, along with whale watching during the right season.
19. Komodo Island, Indonesia
- Best Ocean Safari: Komodo National Park Snorkeling
- The waters around Komodo Island are teeming with marine life, and ocean safari tours here allow you to snorkel with manta rays, sharks, and explore vibrant coral reefs.
20. Whitsunday Islands, Australia
- Best Ocean Safari: Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling & Diving
- The Whitsundays are a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, offering some of the world’s best diving and snorkeling opportunities with a rich variety of marine life, including reef sharks, turtles, and colorful coral species.
These coastal towns provide incredible ocean safari tours where you can encounter some of the most awe-inspiring marine animals in the world, from majestic whales to playful dolphins and giant manta rays. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing snorkeling experience or an adrenaline-packed shark dive, these destinations offer unforgettable ocean adventures.
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