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
Great first version of a truly useful app. My favorite features of this app are:- whale tracking with easy to see dotted lines between sightings - a indicator showing best guess where the animals are heading - showing where the whale watching boats are/are goingMost annoying part: - on open, the map view defaults to just off Victoria, BC instead of where I was last looking or where I’m located.Keep up the great work!
Developer Response
Thanks for the detailed review, this is exactly the kind of feedback we can act on. You are right that the map opened at a fixed spot near Victoria. That is now fixed and live: the map reopens right where you were last looking. Really glad the tracking lines and heading indicators are landing well. Happy Sightings!
Notification limitations
farallonislands
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!
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.
Developer Response
Hi Me1776623. Thank you for your review, and we are sorry for the confusion. The information below was copied from the app description available in the App Store before downloading, installing, and signing up for the app:"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%)."Happy Sightings!
Great live updates!!
ch1anna
Super easy to navigate and helpful when on the lookout for wildlife!!
Developer Response
Thank you so much. Helping people watch whales from shore is the whole idea behind Whale Locator. Happy Sightings!
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.
