Whale Watching Tours
One of the most beautiful views of the Brazilian seas, a sight that fascinates experts and laymen, adults and children alike, is the appearance of whales on the sea-shore of Santa Catarina. During the months of June to November, one can see these big mammals heading north in search of warmer waters in order to procreate and nurse the baby whales.
It’s not uncommon to see a female with her calf swimming side by side with graceful poise, squirting water out of their spouts to amaze observers. However, the life of these whales was not always so peaceful. For a long time, they were relentlessly hunted all along this coastline, to obtain oil used for light and to build houses and churches. The last “armação” (fishing outpost) – the place where the boats for whale hunting were equipped and supplied – was dismantled on 1973, in the village of Imbituba. Nowadays, the boats no longer carry harpoons and nets, but people “armed” with cameras and binoculars, for a better view of the whales. These graceful mammals are now protected by the Federal Law # 7643/87 and by the Ibama Act # 117/96, and thus swim freely in the coastal waters of Santa Catarina.
We at Pousada Vila Tamarindo Eco Lodge can arrange for our guests the unparalleled opportunity to observe the whales in their natural habitat. The tour operators we work with act in accordance with the regulations specified by the researchers of “Projeto Baleia Franca” (”The Whale Project”), who monitor all the movements and displacements of whales on Santa Catarina’s coast.
Tour duration: 1 to 3 hours
