World Map

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Dolphins can be found almost anywhere in the world. But many species tend to be plentiful in only particular areas and then, are only present at certain times of the year. The map above shows many of the locations around the world where there is a better than average chance of exciting close encounters with a variety of whales, dolphins and porpoises.

I have dived with the dolphins both in Weymouth, England and Dolphin Reef, Eilat, Israel. To find out more information about my trip to Eilat click here.

I have fed the dolphins at Monkey Mia in Western Australia, to find out what happened click here.

The following section details which waters certain species inhabit. (It does not cover all the Delphinidae family as information on certain species is unknown and difficult to determine).

Bottlenose Dolphin
The Bottlenose Dolphin inhabits warm and temperate seas worldwide and may be found in all but the Arctic and the Antarctic Oceans they are absent only from 45 degrees poleward in either hemisphere. They are frequently seen in harbors, bays, lagoons, estuaries, and river mouths.

Common Dolphin
The common dolphin is found in all tropical and warm-temperate waters. The long-beaked common dolphin is found more in coastal waters whilst the short-beaked common dolphin is found in offshore waters and is the species that occurs frequently in the eastern tropical Pacific. Both long-beaked and short-beaked common dolphins occur

Pacific Whitesided
The Pacific white-sided dolphin inhabits temperate, coastal waters in the North Pacific, avoiding both tropical or Arctic waters. Its range extends from Amchitka Island in the Aleutians, to the Gulf of Alaska south along the coast of North America to the tip of Baja California. It is also found off the coast of Asia from the Kuril Islands to Japan. It is abundant in Japanese waters with estimates of 30,000 to 50,000 in that area.

Short Snouted Spinner Dolphin
It ranges from the Gulf of Mexico to the Caribbean, and from the mid-Atlantic to the northwest coast of Africa

Spinner Dolphins
The Costa Rican spinner is found in large, close-knit groups of 1,000 or more animals in coastal waters less than 90 miles (150 km) off the western coast of Central America; the eastern spinner is a more oceanic species found in deep water off the coast of Mexico and the west coast of Central America, often travelling in large herds of thousands or more, sometimes in the company of spotted dolphins; the whitebelly spinner is distributed even further offshore from Mexico, Central America, and the Pacific region of northern South America, travelling in herds of 1,000 or more; the Hawain spinner is common throughout the Hawaian Islands and congregates in herds of 200 or more

Killer Whale
The orca is found in all the oceans of the world, though they are more abundant in cooler waters. Unlike some other species of whales, which follow a regular migration route each year, the orca seems to travel according to the availability of food. They are one of the few species of whales that move freely from hemisphere to hemisphere

Spotted Dolphin
Spotted dolphins consist of tropical and subtropical species and are widely distributed in all tropical and warm-temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.

Pilot Whale
In general, pilot whales are found in both the northern and southern hemispheres, in tropical and temperate waters throughout the world. Short-finned pilot whales tend to be found in warmer waters, while cold and more temperate waters are preferred by the long-finned variety. There are some areas of overlap between the two species, but they remain segregated in most areas.

Risso’s Dolphin
Risso's dolphins tend to prefer offshore habitats worldwide in the warm temperate and tropical waters of both hemispheres. General migrations are not known, although some individuals may shift to cooler waters during the more productive summer season. Regional variation in movement may be related to local environmental changes, especially warm water occurrence, and shift in prey abundance