Five responsible whale-watching holidays

The impressive sight of a majestic Fin Whale. Photo: Brittany Ferries

Here are five of the best responsible whale-watching holidays:

Watching Wales in West Cork, Ireland
Get up close to Minke Whales (May-Dec), Fin Whales (June-Jan) and Humpback Whales (Aug-Jan) with local tour guide Nic Slocum on his boat tours off the west coast of Ireland, which are operated under the guidelines of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. www.whalewatchwestcork.com, +353 86 120 0027 

Whale and dolphin watching in the Moray Firth, Scotland
See the most northerly colony of Bottlenose Dolphins in the world (and one of only two resident populations in the UK) from the comfort of a high speed RIB with EcoVentures – an accredited operator both with the WiSe Scheme and the Dolphin Space Programme. From May to September you may also see Minke Whales. www.ecoventures.co.uk, 01381 600 323 

Whale Conservation Holiday in the Mediterranean
Join the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society’s endorsed ‘Out of the Blue’ holidays to see resident populations of Pilot Whales, Common Dolphins, Striped Dolphins and Bottlenose Dolphins in the Straits of Gibraltar. www.oceansworldwide.co.uk, 0845 290 3218 

Watching Whales in Quebec, Canada
See up to thirteen species of whales in estuary and gulf of the St Lawrence River where operators have to apply for a permit for responsible whale-watching and provide knowledgeable guides that give an insight into the behaviour, habitat and ecology of the surrounding region. For a list of operators, see: www.aventure-ecotourism.qc.ca 

Whale-watching in Kaikoura, New Zealand
Responsible operator Whale Watch Kaikoura has a 95 per cent success rate for visitors seeing a whale in this world-famous whale-watching region off the east coast of the south island. Species include the migrating Humpback Whales, Pilot Whales, Blue Whales, Southern Right Whales and the giant Sperm Whale. www.whalewatch.co.nz

See also our blog article on the ethics of Responsible whale-watching holidays: Whale watching is big business. Last year, 13 million people went on a whale-watching holidays, spending more than US2$billion. But what effect is the incredible growth of the industry having on the whales themselves? asks Richard Hammond