An emotional Whale Watching tour with a 90% encounter rate!

The reason why Tosa Bay boasts a high encounter rate close to 90%?

The encounter rate at the whale watching tour held in Tosa Bay is quite high with the chances reaching above 90%. You won't be able to find spots with a higher rate than this within Japan.

The main reason behind this number comes from the water temperature of the sea.
With the Muroto-misaki Cape on the east, and the Ashizuri-misaki Cape located west, the Tosa Bay surrounding Kochi pref. is where the "Kuroshio" black current flows. Since whales prefer warm water, the high water temperature of the sea serves favorable for them.

Blue Whales living in Tosa Bay, the "Bryde’s Whale"

Blue Whales known as Bryde’s Whale lives in Tosa Bay.
The surname "Lady of the Sea" was given after its gentle nature and elegant appearance when swimming through the waters.
With the body length generally ranging from 12m to 15m, it belongs to the Balaenopteridae family along with the well-known Blue Whale, the largest whale in the world.
Also characterized by the three lines seen in its upper jaw, you will be surprised by the size when actually encountering them upon Whale watching.
Due to its calm personality, you can safely sail nearby to have a close look.

The Bryde’s whale blowing (Photo Courtesy: Kochi Whale Watching Usa)

The possibility of encountering the whales are at the highest during late August to September, since this is when the temperature of the seawater rises, and the number of whale watching tours increase.

Whale watching tours targeting the Bryde's whale are extremely rare worldwide, and it is said the several dozens of them currently live beneath the waters of this region.

The tour is guided by an experienced fisherman

In addition to the environmental conditions, another reason that contributes to the high chances of whale encounter, is that the tour is guided by experienced fishermen who knows everything about the behavior of the sea and whales inside and out. 
This time, we participated in a tour held on fishing boats owned and guided by active fishermen at "Kochi Whale Watching Usa".

Active fishermen serve as the captain

The number of ships scheduled for departure on that day varies depending on the amount of participants, and as many as 6 ships go out to the sea at the same time when the tour is well-attended.
Since the destination of the tour will be decided upon exchanging real-time sighting reports and feedbacks with fellow fishermen and other whale watching ships at sea, there's a high expectancy for encountering whales especially during the peak season and on weekends, as plenty of ships will be sailing and sufficient amounts of accurate information will be provided.

An emotional encounter with a herd of dolphins

A herd of dolphins appearing closeby the ship (Photo Courtesy: Kochi Whale Watching Usa)

Of course, watching the whales swimming through the open sea in a leisurely manner is spectacular, but you should also note that it's not rare to encounter dolphins swimming in packs during your tour as well. A large number of Long-beaked common dolphins live in Tosa Bay, and the chances of witnessing these 2m to 2.5m long dolphins are quite high, closely following the encounter rate of the whales.

Other than the Long-beaked common dolphin, you may also see bottlenose dolphins and grampuses, both belonging to the dolphin family but a little larger. The wild dolphins often enjoy swimming alongside the sailing boat, in a manner looking as if they are inviting you out to play with them.

Prepare for departure! A close report on an actual whale watching experience.

Alright then, let's board on the boat of "Kochi Whale Watching Usa", and start our cruise to meet the whales.

Just before 8am, we arrived at the "Usa Shiokaze Park", known by the landmark of a giant whale monument.
Upon entering the facility, you'll receive a warm greeting from the local people, including the captain of the ship and his family.
You should arrive 20 minutes ahead of the scheduled departure time, since there are several procedures you need to go through, such as receptions and dividing of the participants into boarding groups. For those liable to get seasick, don't forget to take medicine beforehand.

Usa Shiokaze Park

You need to cross the pier to board the boat.
Once your done wearing the life jacket, it’s time for departure.

Today’s captain of the tour

Mr. Toshikatsu Matsumura of the ship "Daihachi Seijunmaru" was the captain in charge today.
As an experienced fisherman making a living out of sardine fishing, he knows everything about the Tosa bay. A relative of the captain was introduced as today's volunteer guide.
With these two showing a perfect combination and working well together, we start our search for the whales and dolphins.

Mr. Toshikatsu Matsumura was the captain of today’s ship “Daihachi Seijunmaru”

The Kochi Whale Watching Usa owns 6 ships, with several volunteer guides working. Though there are cases when guides don't board the ship, you can learn interesting information related to the whales and locals from the captain as well. 

There's a chance of meeting the dolphins soon after departure

About 20 minutes after departure, the guide climbs up the observation platform to check the sea.

”It’s not unusual to find dolphins around here” says the guide

Carefully watching into the surrounding waters, she is checking to see if there are any "black objects" swimming up and down the sea surface, since it's not unusual to encounter dolphins in coastal areas about this far from the land.
Although we weren’t able to find any dolphins, we were told that the ship which departed at 9am encountered dolphins swimming in a pack of 5. It is said that cute chirping sounds of the dolphins can be heard when they swim around the ship.

Enjoying a leisurely 2 hour cruise on our way to the destination

The surrounding sky and ocean is boundless

Our destination today is the waters of "Kuroshio Ranch".We were able to tell that we had reached the area by finding a large floating buoy used as a sailing mark.
This buoy is placed to utilize the behaviors of migratory fish such as skipjacks and tuna, as they tend to gather around large drifting objects. This means that whales will also often appear in this area to feed on them.

It's about a 2 hour sail until reaching our goal.
Relax yourself and enjoy the panoramic view of the surrounding open water while feeling the pleasant sea breeze.
Upon receiving guidance from the guides to look at the sea, you may witness floating seaweeds which are signs of Mojako (the young of a yellowtail) nearby, flying fish, streaked shearwater, and various other marine creatures.

Arriving at “Kuroshio Ranch” and finally meeting the Bryde’s whale.

The floating buoy, "Kuroshio Ranch No.20"

We finally found the buoy of "Kuroshio Ranch No.20", indicating that we’ve reached the waters about 53 km south from Kochi City. This is when Captain Muramatsu started calling out to his nearby fellow fishermen.

After receiving a disappointing reply of "We haven't seen any whales today", a loud voice followed quickly saying "I found one!". It was the Bryde's whale.
You can feel a sudden burst of excitement rise within the ship, with everyone rushing and gathering around the bow to point, hold cameras, and shouting "It's over there!".

Encountering the Bryde’s whale

After showing its back above the surface for a brief moment, it immediately dove back into the sea. 
By examining the curve of the whale's spine and the ring produced on the water surface upon diving, we tried to anticipate where it will show up again. After hearing an explanation that the duration of a dive differs between each whale, the participants start to gradually get a grasp of the preferred timing of when this mammal will reappear again.
With everyone on the ship being united together, the captain quickly turns the rudder of the ship whenever he hears a shout saying "Over there!". By utilizing the mobility of the fishing boat, a game of tag with the whales began.

Participants predict where the whale will reappear by communicating with each other

The Bryde's whale of this day was very friendly, with it spinning around showing its belly to us, and swimming right under the ship in a playful manner. The captain demonstrated his native intuition achieved from his long experience, by repeatedly providing opportunities to see the whales up close until everyone was satisfied.
After an hour long chase of continuous diving and reappearing repeated nearly 10 times, it finally disappeared into the waters.

Friendliness indicated from showing its belly

"Wow! Whales actually exist in the sea!" was the thought that came up within me when actually witnessing the Bryde's whale. I know it sounds obvious, but this was how much this experience astonished me.
Through working together with the participants who were strangers several hours ago, realizing the teamwork inside the ship becoming stronger and stronger every second was the best part of this tour.
After knowing how attractive wild whales are, now I can truly understand why so many people are traveling around the world to watch whales.

While enjoying the search for dolphins during our 2 hour cruise on the way back, we realized that we’ve arrived at the port, and our 5 hour tour starting from the morning has finally come to an end.

"5 hours might be too long..." was what I honestly thought before departure, but after it all, it felt like it ended in a blink of an eye. Children boarding the ship also enjoyed the excitement of the whales and the backwash waves created by the advancing boat, being fully entertained showing no signs of boredom throughout the entire time. With this being said, whale watching is an activity also recommendable for family tourists as well.

Children were also satisfied by this extraordinary experience on a boat

What makes Whale Watching so attractive? Asking the guides.

Currently, 4 volunteer guides work for Kochi Whale Watching Usa, of which 2 of them being born and raised in Kochi, and 2 others coming from other prefectures. With each guide having different hobbies and backgrounds, they also have individual aspirations toward their job.

Guides search for whales using a special binocular

On our way back, we had an opportunity to hear a story from a female guide who attended our tour today.

――Since when have you been working as a guide?
Since 5 years ago. In the beginning, I boarded the ship as a participant where I encountered a group of dolphins right after departure. This was an extremely impressive experience for me.
I always wanted to contribute to the local community, and a relative of mine was coincidentally the captain of a ship, so this is how I started working as a guide. A lot of my classmates also work on ships too, and these factors definitely helped me to make this decision.

――From a guide's perspective, what do you find attractive about Whale Watching?
I think meeting with wild animals such as whales and dolphins in the sea, would be a meaningful experience for everyone. In addition, I personally enjoy the leisurely time spent on the ship. By simply looking out at the boundless ocean allows me to forget about my worries and makes me feel as if my mind has broadened up.

――When is the preferred season for Whale Watching?
Seasons from August to September is recommended.
This is because the water temperature of the Tosa Bay area elevates during this period, making it an attractive feeding ground for the whales and dolphins living in the East China Sea. The population increases during this period since they start to move in search of food.

It's quite crowded with tourists in August due to the summer holidays, but the encounter rate will be at the highest since a lot of ships will be departing as well. Making reservations become much easier in early September, so this is also another optimal timing worth considering.

――Is there any advice for foreigners upon participating?
You may want to learn basic Japanese, such as "Hidari(left)" and "Migi(right)". The captain shouts out directions whenever whales appear on the surface, and it's not unusual for a person to miss it if they don't understand the meaning of these words.

Be careful not to miss the words given by the guide and captain

Although interpretation in English is not available, foreign travelers from various countries in Asia and Europe enjoy their time participating in this tour. Since the departure of a ship will be decided upon the number of participants, please ask in advance about the sailing schedule of that day.

##How to apply for Kochi Whale Watching Usa.
General information regarding the application procedure and schedules of that day are available in detail on the website. You should send an inquiry in advance, since sails may be canceled in cases when numbers of reservation didn’t reach 6 people, or weather of that day being too rough.

Photos and souvenirs are available at the reception desk

The meeting place is located within the site of "Usa Shiokaze Park". A large monument of a whale family will serve as a notable landmark. I've heard that many of the participants use rental car services from Kochi Ryoma Airport upon attending.

Website of “Kochi Whale Watching Usa”

【Overview of Kochi Whale Watching Usa】
・Tour Date : From April 20th to end of October (Confirmation Recommended)
・Fee : Adult (Junior high school students or older) 6,000 Yen / Elementary school students 4,000 Yen / Infant (3 years and older) 3,000 Yen
・Sailing Time : Departs at 8:00 / 9:00 / 12:30 (Time varies by season)
・Estimated Duration : About 5 hours
・Meeting place : Hashida Hama, Usacho, Tosa-shi    Usa Shiokaze Park
・Application : Apply by submitting the “Reservation Form” available within the website.(http://usaww.jp/pc/inquiry.php)

A valuable experience of close by interactions with wildlife

You will never feel bored through this experience of spending time under the blue sky and surrounding boundless waters while interacting with surprisingly friendly whales and playful dolphins frisking with the undertows of the ship.
Through appreciating the cosy atmosphere of the local folks and enjoying conversations with the boarding participants, this Whale Watching tour will definitely make a great travel memory for you. Why not jump in to participate for a special day.