Whale Watching Worldwide

Oman
Year Number of
whale
watchers
AAGR Number of
operators
Direct
expenditure
Indirect
expenditure
Total
expenditure
1991 None N/A None None None None
1994 None N/A None None None None
1998 4,700 ~120.2% 6 $320,000 $180,000 $500,000
2008 7,500 4.8% 15 $376,875 $862,500 $1,239,375
Capital City: Muscat
Whale Watch Locations:
01: Muscat
Oman has an exciting and expanding cetacean watching industry
that is experiencing strong growth and allows viewing of a range of
species. Whale and dolphin watching happens on a daily basis
(tourists and weather permitting) with a concentration of trips
around the tourist season when the weather is cooler from October
to April.
Approximately 15 operators offer whale and dolphin watching, each with different degrees of dedication.
Some operators offer dolphin watching on a daily basis while others focus on other activities and offer whale
and dolphin watching on request. No operators in Oman focus solely on cetacean watching but tend to offer
tourists a variety of marine activities such as scuba diving, snorkelling, game fishing, coastal tours and yacht
charters. Opportunistic whale and dolphin watching also occurs when tourists are in transit to other marine
activities. Some operators work closely with major hotels whereby guests are referred to certain operators.
Whale and dolphin watching operators are concentrated around the capital, Muscat, with a few operators
also found in Musandam (in the north) and Salalah (in the south). Casual trips are also offered by local
fishermen from the public beach of Bandar al Jissah and will take passengers out to watch dolphins in a
fibreglass skiff when approached. The safety of these trips has been questioned by local conservation
groups.
An impressive variety of species are encountered by trips off Oman. Commonly encountered species include
spinner dolphins, long‐beaked common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, Bryde’s whales, sperm whales.
According to the Environmental Society of Oman (ESO) Whale and Dolphin Research Group, many other
species have been sighted, such as humpback whales, Risso’s dolphins, false killer whales, blue whales and
Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins, among others.
Oman’s tourism industry has been growing strongly and whale watching trips attract around 80%
international tourists. Whale watching is not a main reason tourists visit Oman; however, those that
discover the opportunity once in Oman are normally pleasantly surprised by their whale/dolphin watching
experience.
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