Whale watching Guidelines

Checklist

Company/ Organisation name:

Location:

Email:

Website (if you do not have one please send a folder):

Answer for each guideline the following question:
How often do you observe the guideline?

Guidelines for watching cetaceans
		Always	Fre- quently	Occa- sionally	Never
1	*Do not go closer than 100m (300ft) (WDCS)**
2	*When there are 2 or more boats whale watching: do not go closer than 200m (WDCS)**
3	Approach whales and dolphins slowly from behind and to the side, not head on or directly behind (Hoyt)
4	Boats must reduce speed and avoid sudden changes in speed when in the vicinity of whales (Greenpeace)
5	Never move between, scatter or separate dolphins. If unsure of their movements, simply stop and put the engine into neutral (WDCS)
6	Never try to swim with whales (WDCS)
7	Never try to swim with dolphins (WDCS)
8	Special care must be taken with mothers and young (WDCS)
9	Spend no longer than 15 minutes near the animals (WDCS)
10	Do not dispose of any rubbish, litter or contaminants at sea (WDCS)
11	Do not feed cetaceans (Hoyt)
12	Reduce as far as possible the production of potentially disturbing sounds and avoid sudden changes in noise (IWC)
13	Vessel design should minimise the risk of injury to cetaceans, e.g. propellers should be shrouded (IWC)
14	A naturalist should be on the boat to provide information (Greenpeace)
15	Provide tourists accurate and educational information guides and books (IWC)

Additional considerations

Checklist

Operators who want to be included can fill out this checklist, we will then assess your environmental performance.