How to Spend 6 Days Swimming With Sperm Whales in the Caribbean

In the warm, cobalt waters just off the coast of Dominica—a mountainous Caribbean island often called the “Nature Island”—a rare and intimate encounter awaits. Here, nearly 200 sperm whales live year-round, making this one of the few places on Earth where humans can reliably find, and even swim alongside, the planet’s largest toothed predator. 

Whale-watching operators take visitors to areas where the whales are commonly sighted, but for those looking to get to know these large creatures in a more intimate way, tour company Untold Story Travel offers something extraordinary: the chance to observe and, when conditions allow, enter the water with these calm, colossal creatures in their vast and wild ocean home.

The company’s six-day experience, called Diving with Sperm Whales, gives travelers several chances to see, photograph, and swim with sperm whales. The experience includes a dedicated skipper and guide, who analyze the weather and movements of resident sperm whales, which can be hard to find since they are known to dive to depths of 1,000 meters (over 3,280 feet). The resident whales can often be found in the sheltered bays along Dominica’s western coastline where they like to breed and calve. 

If conditions are right, guests may slip quietly into the water and come face-to-face with a creature that can reach 50 feet in length. The whales often appear unbothered, turning gently toward swimmers or drifting by in slow, graceful passes. For many, swimming with a whale is a deeply humbling experience, a moment of connection where scale, sound, and silence all take on new dimensions.

While the sperm whales live off the coast of Dominica year-round, they are most commonly seen between November and April, with the highest odds in November, February, and March.

The Diving with Sperm Whales experience has an educational component. Local researchers and conservationists share the island’s long-term sperm whale studies and each booking contributes to the CETI Project and the island’s marine resources division, which conduct marine research and lead protection efforts.

The six-day Diving with Sperm Whales experience starts at $9,000 per person. Inquiries can be made at: untoldstorytravel.com.