This year's Aqua-Firma Madagascar Whale Shark Research - Tropical Islands, Lemurs & Marine Life experience once again exceeded expectations.
We enjoyed multiple whale shark encounters, every day, with several individual sharks bearing spot pattern identified by host researcher, Stella Diamant, as new to the area. Stella managed to attach acoustic tags to some of these new individuals - something which will help monitor where they travel when out of sight (click HERE for more information about tracking whale sharks).
We also enjoyed healthy coral reefs, unaffected by coral bleaching. There are lots of huge pristine Acropora table corals in this area - of a scale which take decades to grow, but just a matter of days to die if water temperatures cause symbiotic algae to leave their host.
As expected, Humpback whales were seen in the area, migrating up from Antarctica to give birth and breed:
Rare Omura whales were also seen, feeding on bait fish. This part of Madagascar is the best place in the World to see these whales, which stay in the Tropics year-round:
Spinner dolphins danced beneath the bow of our research boat; and true to their name, corkscrewed out of the water beside us:
We enjoyed a few encounters with mobula rays, giant mantas and Hawksbill turtles. Green turtles appeared every day, on seagrass beds a short swim from our base:
Above water, we enjoyed the company of Black lemurs every day, including newborns brought out from a Sacred Forest right beside our base. Whilst males are black, females are a lovely chestnut brown colour:
In Madagascar's most westerly rainforest, we spotted nocturnal Sportive Lemurs, roosting in the folds and holes of trees; as well as Madagascar's smallest family of lemur: Mouse Lemurs of the Nosy Be variety (Microcebus mamiratra - also known as Claire's Mouse Lemur) ... and their most feared predator here, the Malagasy Giant Hognose Snake:
On hands and knees, we looked into the World one of the world's smallest species chameleon (Brookesia minima), amongst others:
& enjoyed some stunning tropical island scenery:
Click HERE to find out how to join us next October.
Photos by Ralph Pannell & Stephen Burgess
Whale Shark Research – Islands, Marine Life & Lemurs
Madagascar
FROMOctober 2025 & 2026
£2,190
US$2,850
with Aqua-Firma Photographer Ralph Pannell
& Madagascar's leading Whale Shark Researcher Stella DiamantView detailsEnquire / Book
