Ogata Whale Watching
大方ホエールウオッチング (Ogata Whale Watching)
Have a whale of a time in Tosa Bay
Located at the end of Irino Beach in Kuroshio Town, a popular natural white sand beach and surf spot, Ogata Whale Watching has been offering whale watching tours for over 30 years. Approximately 20 minutes on foot from Tosa-Irino Station, it is one of Kochi’s most accessible whale watching options if using public transport.
As anyone who has joined a whale watching tour probably knows, there is never a guarantee of actually seeing a whale. Whale watching tours in the west of Kochi, however, have a reassuringly high rate of success during the season; around 80% in the case of Ogata Whale Watching. This is thanks to the warm Kuroshio Current that brings an unusually diverse range of marine life to coastal waters and the deep knowledge of local waters that Ogata Whale Watching’s boat captains and their support staff have gained over many years.
The main object of any tour is to encounter Bryde’s whales which grow up to over 10m in length and are common in these waters. Should the whales prove elusive, there is still a good chance that the captain will locate other marine animals such as pods of dolphins, sharks, schools of tuna or sardines and seabirds.
Ogata Whale Watching runs tours from late April through October with the best chances of sighting whales between July and September. Standard tours last about 4 hours, but, if you don’t spot a whale during that time, captains will keep searching if your schedule allows. Ogata Whale Watching also offers day-long whale watching tours, sunset tours to see bioluminescent sea-fireflies, seafood BBQ lunch options and can arrange private charters.
Ogata Whale Watching makes a clear commitment to the guidelines recommended by the Japan Whale Dolphin Watching Council on their website (in Japanese) with an outline of what those guidelines are.
Reservations are available in English via the Ogata Whale Watching website. Tours are in Japanese, but English information cards are available on board. Ogata Whale Watching updates their Facebook and Instagram accounts regularly during the season. Posts are in Japanese, but the photos and video clips give a good idea of the kind of encounters you can hope for.
As anyone who has joined a whale watching tour probably knows, there is never a guarantee of actually seeing a whale. Whale watching tours in the west of Kochi, however, have a reassuringly high rate of success during the season; around 80% in the case of Ogata Whale Watching. This is thanks to the warm Kuroshio Current that brings an unusually diverse range of marine life to coastal waters and the deep knowledge of local waters that Ogata Whale Watching’s boat captains and their support staff have gained over many years.
The main object of any tour is to encounter Bryde’s whales which grow up to over 10m in length and are common in these waters. Should the whales prove elusive, there is still a good chance that the captain will locate other marine animals such as pods of dolphins, sharks, schools of tuna or sardines and seabirds.
Ogata Whale Watching runs tours from late April through October with the best chances of sighting whales between July and September. Standard tours last about 4 hours, but, if you don’t spot a whale during that time, captains will keep searching if your schedule allows. Ogata Whale Watching also offers day-long whale watching tours, sunset tours to see bioluminescent sea-fireflies, seafood BBQ lunch options and can arrange private charters.
Ogata Whale Watching makes a clear commitment to the guidelines recommended by the Japan Whale Dolphin Watching Council on their website (in Japanese) with an outline of what those guidelines are.
Reservations are available in English via the Ogata Whale Watching website. Tours are in Japanese, but English information cards are available on board. Ogata Whale Watching updates their Facebook and Instagram accounts regularly during the season. Posts are in Japanese, but the photos and video clips give a good idea of the kind of encounters you can hope for.
- Regions
- West
- Themes
- Whale & Dolphin Watching
| Address | 高知県幡多郡黒潮町浮鞭3573-5 砂浜美術館内(事務局) （Office: Sunabi Museum, 3573-5, Ukibuchi, Kuroshio Town, Hata Gun, Kochi Prefecture, Japan） |
|---|---|
| Telephone Number |
0880-43-1058 *Reservation, Enquiries
|
| kujira@sunabi.com | |
| Open | Reception hours: 8:30-17:00 Regular tour departure times ・10:00 (weekdays) ・08:00 & 13:00 (weekends, National Holidays, April 29-May 7 and July 22-August 31) 8 hour tours depart at 08:00 *Subject to change |
| Price | Regular tour (4 hours): ・Age 13 and over : 8,000 yen ・Between age 7 and 12 : 4,000 yen ・Between age 3 and 6 : 2,000 yen 8 hour tour tour (includes a packed lunch and a drink): ・Age 13 and over : 15,000 yen ・Between age 7 and 12 : 9,000 yen 4 hour charter: ¥100,000 Night tour (2.5 hours): ・Age 13 and over :5,000 yen ・Age 12 and under : 3,000 yen *Price includes taxes |
| Directions | About 50 min drive from Shimantocho-chuo IC on Kochi Expressway 20 min walk from Tosa Irino Station on the Tosa Kuroshio Line 【Meeting point】 Irino Fishing Port (227 Irino, Kuroshio-cho, Hata-gun) |
| Website | Website |
| Map Code | 466 346 104*71 |
| Online Reservation |
Official website for reservation |
| Remarks | ・Reservation at least 3 days in advance required. ・A minimum of 4 people are needed to run the tour. ・Payment is by cash only on the day of the tour. ・If the tour is canceled due to adverse weather conditions, you will be notified by email by 17:00 the day before the tour. ・In the event of a sudden change in weather conditions a tour may be canceled at short notice or cut short. *Please be aware that even in the off chance we cannot spot any whales, there will be no refunds. We kindly ask for your understanding. |
