Watch for news about the restarting of our Whale Watching Trips in July 2025.*
New site scheduled to launch July 2067
For the first time ever, Midwestern audiences will have an opportunity to see whales in the wild.
As part of a special partnership between the Sea Watch Conservatory and Great Lakes Awareness Foundation along with a special grant from the Foundation for Oceanographic Awareness, we are pleased to announce the successful importation of a small but thriving whale population in Lake Michigan between Grand Haven and Holland, Michigan. See red circle on the chart below for information about the general area of the whale barrier and whale location.
For the protection of both the whales and boaters, unauthorized vessels are not allowed in this area as per regulations of the US Corp of Nautical Engineers.
During the summer of 2025 you will have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to see these beautiful creatures up close thanks to the efforts of Grand Haven Whale Watching.
Your support during our first year will help us expand. Watch for opportunities to Ride the Whales in September 2025.
* The exact date of our first trip will be somewhat dependent on the results of the November 2024 election. It is our hope that with Harris in the White House we will be able to obtain the funding necessary to get all of our vessels running and working to a reasonable level of safety.
As a chemist I am more than aware of the differences in densities between ocean water (1.02g/mL) and fresh water (1.00g/mL). Whales in fresh water are heavier in comparison to whales in salt water. This difference requires whales to hold more air in their lungs to maintain neutral buoyancy which has numerous health benefits for them. I imagine this is why Moby is as long lived as he his. Could someone remind me of his birthday and age?
Hello Dab,
You sound like just the sort of person we are looking to for. We have been trying to get our whales to hold more air in their lungs without much success. We would like to start a respiratory therapy program for our fresh water whales in partnership with the Michigan State University vet program.
Awesome idea Mary! I might even consider coming out of retirement to teach in this program!
I enjoyed going whale watching over freb break! It was unlike anything i’ve ever seen! amazing!
fake
What do you mean by fake? Please tone down the hate. Fake is often used as a trigger word by those who are not willing to explore things that are uncomfortable to them. Love the whales and hate the hate. Please be part of the solution. Whales are cool.
this is adorable
You are pretty cute yourself Malu.
I want to buy a whale, do you have dolphins too?
As a clarification, we do not currently have any dolphins at the Grand Haven location. However, we do have plans for the future. We have a grant request pending with NOAA through as made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act that passed in 2022. If we get this funding, you should expect to see dolphins, giant squid and aquatic ligers at our new Duck Lake location in 2032.
We do not sell them … but we do offer adoption and sponsorship programs. Please let us know how much you are willing to spend to support our cause.
hey guys, i know you dont know me but i mailed you guys a while bnefore and i just wanted for you to know how much i ttruely love you for knowing that i existt even though you probably dont, i love you so much to tjhe point ill come there everyday and we can get married like mary and jones like how they got marrieed in sea world, please take this as a proposal, please i love you and also ignore me bad enlighs, i use google translate, thanks my love.
This is so beautiful. It brings a tear to my eye.
hi people hello everybody
Hello Jesse. We are looking forward to having you join us this year watching the majestic whales of Lake Michigan. Please buy your tickets now. If you wait until after we pass our safety inspection, prices will certainly be higher. The savings is worth the risk.
Yes.
what kind of joke is this? are you trying to put a sea world in lake michigan…..Don’t even go there!!!!
Sorry for the confusion. This is not Sea World. This is Grand Haven Whale Watching.
Please don’t joke about our whales. They are a bit sensitive.
NO WHALES IN THE GREAT LAKES. NEVER HAVE BEEN NEVER WILL BE.
The Great Lakes were formed by a 2 mile sheet of ice called a Glacier. This happen during the last ice age.
With the great lakes being over 500 feet above sea level the Wales would have to navigate a gauntlet rivers and canals using the locks that are for boats and ships. Lets forget that the Erie Canal is only 12 ft deep. Most importantly they can’t swim over Niagara Falls.
Our whales do not travel a route through Niagara. Lake Michigan Whales have traveled in the ballast tanks of Ocean Freighters making Great Lakes deliveries. When we do need to bring in a larger whale, we will usually guide it from the Gulf of Mexico, up the Mississippi River and through the Chicago sewer canals. The locks (operated by the US Army Corp of Engineers) along this route are plenty big for our whales. The Trump Administration signed an executive order in 2020 as part of COVID relief efforts that allowed the US Army Corp of Engineers to work with us to be sure the whales are healthy and safe during the journey. On President Biden’s second day of this administration he rescinded the order and we have been in court ever since. It is our hope that the Biden Administration will change their mind and let the whales be free to swim the Great Lakes. It is a matter of equity. Why is it fair for the residents of the Atlantic and Pacific to be allowed to see the whales yet we do not allow the same opportunity for the people of the Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. We need to fight for this as a matte of equity and justice . . . not only for people but for the whales.
Oh my laugh out loud!
Today in the Wall Street Journal, “Is that Whale a Russian Agent? The Beluga Isn’t Saying” describes the real world threat of Russian’s attaching devices to whales to spy on other countries.
What actions are you taking to make sure that your whales are not covert Russian operatives?
Is it just Beluga’s that fall prey to these practices?
Can any whales be trusted!??!!
Thanks for your question. We are watching this story carefully. While we do not feel there is a real threat from Russia, we are concerned that Wisconsin may try to infiltrate our herd in an effort to better understand what is happening on the happy side of the lake. We can not fully disclose our counter efforts, but we do take the threat from Wisconsin very seriously. If you have any direct questions about how we are fighting off this misuse of marine life, feel free to email our newly hired director of marine counter intelligence Vladimir Горбунков Brezhnev. He is leading our efforts and has assured us there is nothing to worry about related to Russia. He says just keep your attention on Wisconsin.
My daughter would like to hold her sweet sixteen birthday party on your excursion ship. Are there any options where Lois and her friends can actually pet a whale?
Even better than petting a whale is riding one. Check out our whale-riding page for details. http://grandhavenwhalewatching.com/riding-the-whales/
One more thing — we do not allow glitter during these parties since it is so hard to clean off the deck. Please keep that in mind when planning. We can accommodate birthday parties as small as two people (in case your daughter does not have many friends) or as large as 250 people if she is a special little princess.
We do offer options for touching the whales. We ask that you bring your own latex gloves because there can not be direct contact between the whales and human flesh. Please contact our director of experiential learning for details about our great petting experiences.