Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 130, October 2015, pp. 1-18. | Page 8

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Early mornings and evenings are usually the best times to look for whales or
dolphins, as the sea is often calmer and the light better. So far, the majority of
sightings of dolphins have been fairly close to the coast (e.g. off Saadiyat Island
in Abu Dhabi), whereas whales are more often found well offshore. Venture
slowly out to sea by boat, sit back, wait, watch and listen. You can hear the blow
of a whale from quite a distance, even before you can see it. Listen too, for
splashes. The thunderous sound of a breaching whale can carry over a couple of
kilometres and whales indulging in these activities have been sighted from as far
away as 8 to 10 kilometres (UAE interact Website).
On days when the sea is calm and glassy, however, schools of dolphins and
whale pods, loll peacefully on the surface, allowing boats to approach to within a
few metres. On occasion whales 10 to 12 metres long have slowly swum under
boatloads of onlookers, providing captivating and memorable close-up views as
the