The Dubai Harbor, located near The Dubai Marina and the home of HERO OdySea Boat Tours Dubai, had a unique visitor at the start of 2022. On the 9th of January, very close to the coastline, a whale was spotted as a group of people were out enjoying a morning cruise on one of Dubai’s many luxury yachts.
The lucky spotters reached for their phones/cameras to capture the rare moment. The beautiful mammal was smaller in size and thought to be younger in age. The whale swam in close proximity to the yacht, giving the crew a spectacular view.
Although it cannot be confirmed, it is assumed that the mammal is a Bryde’s whale, pronounced “broodus,” and is part of the baleen species. It is uncommon to see whales near the coastline in the UAE; however, the species are known to gravitate towards the warmer subtropical climates.
These whales are usually spotted alone or in smaller groups of 3-4 – this can increase during breeding seasons. Unlike other baleen whales, Bryde’s whale tends to move in irregular patterns, both surfacing and changing direction for no particular reason making their patterns unpredictable and unusual.
The Arabian Gulf is blessed with sizeable marine life populations from dugongs, dolphins, and turtles to fish, sea snakes, and sharks. When embarking on a HERO OdySea Boat Tour, you should most definitely keep an eye out for the beautiful creatures that may be passing you.
At HERO OdySea Boat Tours Dubai, we are passionate about the conservation of marine life and treating all animals with respect and care. As always, if you see a wild animal, please don’t approach it, but you can take a picture, provided you are far away enough.
To read more on marine life in Dubai – visit the blog page on our website to discover further information on wild animal spottings and our conservation and sustainability mission. www.hero-dubai.com/blog/
Feature image credit: Jonny Dodge