In the early morning pre-dawn light, against the backdrop of spectacular Mount Curi, a dugout canoe motors out on the still, flat ocean. The sea quickly changes colour to dark blue as they pass the shallow, narrow blue ribbon of fringing coral reef, with the seabed plummeting to over 3 km deep. Marine Wildlife Officer Potenzo Lopes sits at the helm of the narrow boat — binoculars and a large zoom camera in hand — watching the ocean. Faustino Mauloko da Cunha, a local fisherman from the village of We-Ua (in Subaun), drives the small wooden boat, while his son Zacarias joins Potenzo in scanning the horizon.
(Photo credit: David de Cunha)
Watching for Pygmy Blue Whales
Every day, and all day, for the past 60 days, Potenzo, Faustino, and the local fishermen and youth of Subaun and Behau have been watching for one of Timor-Leste’s most spectacular wildlife encounters — the Pygmy Blue Whale. Up to 24 metres long, the blue whale undertakes its annual southern migration every September–December, along the very deep coastal waters off the north coast of Timor-Leste.
Timor-Leste is a recognised global hotspot for whales and dolphins, with over 20 species recorded in its waters, including migratory and endangered species such as:
- Pygmy Blue Whales
- Sperm Whales
- Multiple dolphin species
With annual migrations often occurring very close to shore, Timor-Leste offers some of the most accessible whale watching in the world.
A Local Whale Spotter Network
Once a blue whale or sperm whale is sighted, the network of local fishermen use their mobile phones to share information quickly with Dili-based commercial whale tour operators. In many countries, successful commercial whale watching relies on spotter planes — individual operators hiring small aircraft to locate whales. In Timor-Leste, the local whale spotter network at Subaun takes a different approach, one that is not only helping tour operators locate whales but also generating extraordinary scientific insights into the country’s marine wildlife.
Local fishers are skilled ocean observers. That traditional knowledge, combined with citizen science training — recognising the blows of animals and identifying distinctive features — has enabled fishers to identify different whale and dolphin species from long distances, including from their blows alone.
What the Community Has Recorded
With fishermen on the water daily and coastal villages close to small local beaches, the Subaun whale spotters have documented a rich picture of Timor-Leste’s whale populations:
- Hundreds of Pygmy Blue Whales recorded each year, including solitary adults and mothers with calves
- Large pods of Sperm Whales and dolphins
- Whale blows heard passing through in the still of the night
- Feeding behaviour observed from clifftops and hillsides with panoramic ocean views
- Drone photography providing close-up images to assess the body condition and health of individual animals
Citizen Science Meets Conservation
Potenzo Lopes, an accomplished nature photographer, conservationist and science communicator, supervises the citizen science and community outreach programme. Previously employed with BirdLife International, Potenzo developed his technical photographic and research skills recording Timor-Leste’s birds — a discipline that translates well to whale photography, where speed, distance, and patience are equally demanding.
The citizen science programme has strengthened cooperation between whale researchers, local tour operators, and local fishermen. Tour operators now regularly share sightings information, behaviour observations, photographs, and drone footage — creating a collaborative monitoring network that benefits science, industry, and conservation alike.
Responsible Whale Tourism
The whale watching industry in Timor-Leste has grown rapidly in recent years, attracting significant international and domestic tourism interest. Local operators are committed to sustainable, world-class standards that protect the country’s globally significant populations of whales, dolphins, and dugongs.
Key milestones in responsible whale tourism include:
- National whale-watching Guidelines launched in 2020, adopting global best-practice standards
- Industry certification scheme established by the Assosiasaun Turizmu Maritima Timor-Leste (ATM-TL) to promote responsible operators
- ‘Responsible Whale Tour Operator’ certification (since 2020), allowing tourists to identify operators committed to the Guidelines, science, and conservation
A key component of the certification is the provision and sharing of whale and dolphin sightings data from tour operations, supporting the ongoing monitoring and management of Timor-Leste’s marine wildlife.
With operators increasingly embedding whale science, conservation, and education into the tourism experience itself, the outlook for Timor-Leste’s whales — and for the future of whale tourism in the country — is an encouraging one.
— Professor Karen Edyvane, National University of Timor-Leste; President, Assosiasaun Turizmu Maritima iha Timor Leste
The Timor-Leste whale spotter programme is supported by a grant from the USAID TfA programme, and builds on five years of whale and dolphin research, monitoring, and citizen science led by the National University of Timor-Leste in collaboration with ATM-TL (Marine Tourism Association of Timor-Leste).