Humpback whale migrations
The classic long-distance migrator: polar feeding grounds in summer, tropical breeding grounds in winter — the year’s clearest ocean rhythm.
See humpback whale dive sites · zoom in and select a glow to open that coast on the dive map
The humpback whale year, in real records
The classic long-distance migrator: polar feeding grounds in summer, tropical breeding grounds in winter — the year’s clearest ocean rhythm. The map above animates 100,892 recorded observations of Megaptera novaeangliae — CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records accessed through GBIF, binned by calendar month, peaking in August. Sightings are history, not a forecast: they show where people have actually seen this animal, which is strong planning context and never a guarantee.
Where the year peaks
The regions holding the most recorded humpback whale sightings, and the months when each one runs hottest — computed from the same dataset the map animates.
- California & Pacific Northwestyear-round18,043 sightingsdive sites here
- Antarctic Peninsula & Southern OceanNov–May13,702 sightingsdive sites here
- Norway, Iceland & North AtlanticMay–Nov11,078 sightingsdive sites here
- Eastern AustraliaJun–Oct9,394 sightingsdive sites here
- Alaska & AleutiansMar–Sep8,749 sightingsdive sites here
- Southern AfricaNov–Jan7,090 sightingsdive sites here