This is the second year in a row that we have seen a humpback whale in the Maldives in early August. We are incredibly grateful for all the experiences we have had in the Maldives. The first time we saw a humpback whale in the Maldives was in 2023.

However, some experiences are a little more rare, but also more special than others. Both for us, but also for our partners (@shadowpalmmaldives) who are on different trips on a daily basis. From the beginning of July in 2024 to the end of the year, our partner has seen virtually every large whale (blue, fin, humpback, sperm, sperm whales, pilot whales, whale sharks, killer whales etc.) The Maldives is full of surprises and you never know when you might encounter a whale.

The times we have been lucky enough to see a humpback whale we have been on day trips to different resorts in different atolls . Which also just confirms that you never know what will come out of the blue. The best chance of seeing some larger sea creatures is when you cross different atolls.

We have once again been confirmed why Shadowpalm are our partners, but also why we personally prefer local islands to resort islands.

We spotted the humpback whale from the resort island. However, it was not possible to get to the humpback whale from the resort (regardless of the amount, as all employees were going to lunch and it just couldn't wait).

We called our business partner, Ali, and told him to come and pick us up. Ali and some people from Shadowpalm who were not travelling were at Maafushi. Maafushi is 40-45 min. away from the resort island we were on. Ali gathered his team and sailed off towards us. We know of no other tour agency that would sail 40-45 minutes away based on a call about a humpback whale.

When they finally arrived we sailed around for 3 hours, as the whale comes up every 30 minutes and it was very different how long it was on the surface. However, we got to swim with it and that in itself was a HUGE EXPERIENCE!

In addition, there was a boat from the resort that was travelling at the same time as the Shadowpalm team arrived to pick us up. The resort boat sailed right past the whale without stopping and without informing any guests. That wasn't the point of their trip, they were supposed to see something other than the tour they had paid for... Even the guests inside the resort didn't even look out to sea or move from their sun lounger, which also confirms that the local island is just right for us.

So if you want to experience something out of the ordinary and you go on holiday for the experiences rather than ONLY to lie on a sun lounger, then local island is definitely for you + it's cheaper and who doesn't like to save a little money!!!

However, a combination of local and resort island is not a bad idea either. We've done that a few times now. It's a little bit of both worlds that you can experience both on a day trip or where you split your holiday so you spend some days on the local island and the rest on the resort island. You can read more about a day trip to resort here: (Link to day trip to resort). We have done both ourselves.

An experience of a lifetime awaits you on your upcoming trip to Maafushi Maldives. We look forward to welcoming you.