Whale Locator is a live AIS and community powered sightings network for whales and marine mammals across the Salish Sea (Vancouver, Seattle, Victoria, Nanaimo, Campbell River, all of Vancouver Island, Howe Sound, Sunshine Coast, San Juan Islands, Bellingham, Tacoma, Everett, and White Rock).
Report sightings in real time, track the whale watch fleet via AIS, and explore an interactive map built for land-based watchers, boaters, naturalists, and researchers.
FEATURES:
- Push Notifications: Get whale notifications in real-time, including species, location, direction of travel, and behaviour.
- Real-Time Sighting Reports: Log orca, humpback, grey whale, porpoise, seal, sea lion, and help build a shared picture of whale activity that benefits researchers, conservation groups, and land-based whale watching for the general public.
- Live AIS Vessel Tracking: See whale watch boats in real time, with automated detection when vessels are engaged in whale watching activities.
- Interactive Map: Street, satellite, and nautical chart layers. Vessel Restricted Zones, voluntary no-go areas, and DFO regulations overlaid.
- Sightings Log: Scroll through recent reports from the community with timestamps and species details.
- Works With Conservation: Whale Locator provides data to NGOs, First Nations governments, as well as federal, provincial, state and parks enforcement agencies to support marine mammal protection.
Whale Locator is free to download, offers a 3-day free trial period, and a subscription is required thereafter to maintain access to real-time sightings, fleet tracking, and push notifications:
- Monthly: $4.99/month
- Annual: $49.99/year (save 17%)
Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscription in your device's Account Settings.
Terms of Use: https://whalelocator.com/terms
Privacy Policy: https://whalelocator.com/privacy
Cool concept and nice use of several data sources, but the ability to filter notifications based n location is very limited, especially in the Seattle/Vashon area. If it were possible to draw custom regions/bounds on the map within which push notifications would be triggered, I would sign back up for a subscription in a heartbeat.
Developer Response
Thank you for your thoughtful suggestion! Your real feedback helps us significantly in improving the app. The timing is perfect; we are currently working on enhancements to our notification system. These improvements may also include the ability to create custom alert areas on the map. In the meantime, while we continue testing this new feature, we have added the Seattle and Puget Sound area, including Vashon, to our list of notification zones. If you have any additional suggestions to improve Whale Locator, please feel free to email us at contact@whalelocator.com.We would love to have you back when everything is ready. Happy Sightings!
Not part of PWWA
Carmarsh
Really wanted to give this app a chance but after hearing the creators are not apart of PWWA it gave me major pause. Otherwise a cool app and concept!
Developer Response
Thanks, and glad you like the concept! Whale Locator is intentionally independent and not tied to any single industry association. We're a community and conservation project whose data is openly accessible to the general public, whale researchers, conservation NGOs, enforcement agencies, and First Nations. That independence is exactly what keeps our whale sightings neutral and accessible to everyone. Some of the people involved in the creation and development were, at one time, members of the PWWA and left because of the bad-faith lobbying against science-backed regulations to protect marine life, especially regarding the critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales. The PWWA is simply a business association with no accountability to its members and serves only to protect whale-watching operators from scrutiny and accountability. You don’t have to take our word for it, though. You can see for yourself how they use their member fees, as their financial records are a matter of public record.We'd be glad to have you on board. Happy Sightings!
Subscription only but you don’t know until they have your email address
Me1776623
I’m so over apps like this that are “free with in app purchases” but the in app purchases are subscriptions with no actual free version of the app. Oh but also it won’t tell you that until they have collected your email address to do with whatever they please. So glad I put in the fakey apple email so I don’t have to unsubscribe from a ton of email variants like every other company.
Performance improvements
Better experience in areas with low data service
Security upgrades
Version 1.3
The developer, MELONPING TECHNOLOGIES CORP, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Location
Contact Info
Identifiers
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
MELONPING TECHNOLOGIES CORP
Size
30.2 MB
Category
Travel
Compatibility
Requires iOS 16.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 16.0 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 16.0 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 13.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
