Whale Watching: Unique Day Trip from Nice | French Riviera Insider Tips

Whale watching on the French Riviera? Yes, it’s a thing! This relaxed day trip from Nice takes you on a 5-hour boat ride from Beaulieu-sur-Mer into the Pelagos Sanctuary, one of the Mediterranean’s most important marine reserves. It’s a lesser-known, peaceful adventure far from the Côte d’Azur’s glitzy image. Did we spot whales? Well… you’ll have to see for yourself! 😉

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🌟 Destination: BEAULIEU-SUR-MER 🌟
📍 https://maps.app.goo.gl/5tSKiE5HRFz4u33Q7

We went on board with:
🐋 Shelltone Whale Project – Respectful Whale Watching 🐋

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👉 in Beaulieu-sur-Mer (NICE): https://www.shelltonewhaleproject.org/en/whale-dolphin-watching-nice-france/
Tickets in 2025: €95 per person for a 5-hour trip (9 AM – 2 PM)

Lori and Rémy’s (our guides) website:
https://www.bnrdiving.com/
👉 Apart from whale watching, they also offer diving outings, sunset cruises and much more. You can also ask them for a privatisation of the boat!

THANK YOU FOR TAKING US ON BOARD, LORI ET RÉMY!!!

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📌 What’s in this video:
00:00 Intro
00:36 Arrival at the Marina
01:44 Getting Ready to Head Out
03:15 Into the Pelagos Sanctuary
05:20 The Big Search Begins
08:20 A Quick Swim
09:30 Snacks, Chill & Sea Views
10:07 Dolphin Spotting!
10:42 Back to Beaulieu-sur-Mer

la [Music] whale watching on the French Riviera yep it’s a thing while most people picture yards beach clubs and chill rosé this coastline’s also home to a protected marine reserve where you can spot whales and dolphins so today we’re hopping on a boat not far from Nice to see what’s out there did we spot whales well you’ll have to stick around to find out ali and I looked into five different providers offering whale watching around Nice on the French Riviera we picked the Shelton Whale Project their base is in Bully about 10 km or a halfhour drive from Nice we drove over this morning and at 8:30 had no problem finding a parking spot right at the marina but honestly if you’re coming from Nice or anywhere along the coast just take the train it’s probably quicker and from the train station it’s only a 10-minute walk to the boat way less hassle we were meant to meet at 8:45 right at the boat which is near the Capitan just by the main entrance to the port to be sure we have the right spot we quickly double check at the harbor master’s office grab a bit of info and since for once we were early we take our time to wander along the quiet docks it’s so peaceful in the morning with just a few crews getting their yachts ready for the day and there it is sita our boat for today now don’t expect a polished yacht with fancy amenities we’ll get to why we picked this particular one and its crew a little later right before stepping on the boat we both take a quick seasickness pill better safe than sorry it was actually suggested to us in a preparation email we received after booking the tour and now it’s time to hop on board and meet our skipper along with our fellow passengers Jane from the UK and a Belgian couple tour guide Luri isn’t here yet so we pick our spots on deck and get comfy with the coffee offered it’s a pretty small group today just seven of us and we’re totally free to move around the boat which means I get pull position as we leave the marina shortly after 900 a.m and no sails today by the way we’ll be heading out under motor power it’s just easier to handle with guests on board especially since none of us have a clue about sailing rei and Luri usually take a maximum of eight guests for their tours and while today is all about whale watching they also offer al trips like diving outings sunset operas at sea or whatever else you might fancy if you’d like to privatize the boat oh and Luri who you’ll meet properly in just a second surprises us with the typical French pastry for breakfast let’s forget that and off we go leaving the harbor behind and heading about 10 nautical miles out into the open sea we lost nobody perfect so hello and welcome on board she’s 30 m long 12 tons from 1977 the storm is quite calm today so should be okay
then it’s Laura’s turn to tell us what’s actually swimming out here in this area called the Pilago Sanctuary it’s a huge protected marine zone and one of the most important breeding grounds for whales and dolphins in the Mediterranean it’s shared between Monaco Italy and France it’s a very very big zone because it sh it’s 87 500 square kilometers key and every time 80% of time we see them they choose to come so this is very important for us it’s a priority so what might we be lucky enough to spot today according to Lori here’s the lineup there are three species of dolphins in this area the striped dolphin the one you’re most likely to see the common dolphin which confusingly isn’t the most common and the bottl-nose dolphin the shy one of the bunch when it comes to whales we could come across pilot whales known to be pretty curious around boats then there’s the sperm whale laura says they often approach their boat they’re seriously huge between 12 and 20 m long and if we’re extra lucky we might catch a glimpse of a fin whale also around 20 m long and the ultimate big guy the blue whale yep the biggest animal on the planet they can grow up to 30 meters and apparently there are somewhere between 150 and 1,600 of them living in the Pilago sanctuary other possible sightings include turtles sunfish northern ganets those giant seabirds rays and even sharks and now the tension’s on everyone’s picked their spot and started scanning the water for any suspicious movements at this point though it’s mostly well water a lot of water and then for one glorious second we’re sure there’s a whale out there or something turns out it’s a log yep a very convincing very disappointing log apparently that happens a lot out here [Music] we’re actually super lucky today cuz the water’s nice and calm on rough days waves can easily trick you into thinking you’ve spotted something so we go back to waiting and watching whales are sneaky bastards Remy tells us you’ve got to look out for their blows those little water sprays they shoot into the air meanwhile we’ve already put quite a few nautical miles between us and the shore see those buildings over there that’s Monaco looking back at the coastline you realize why this area is so rich in wildlife the mountains you see on land drop straight down into the sea and keep going underwater creating a rugged steep seabed perfect for marine life then as a few of us start getting a bit peckish Lori and Rei get out the hydrophone they’re hoping to pick up sounds from below clicks whistles anything that might hint at nearby dolphins or whales luri explains you can sometimes hear those sounds for up to three nautical miles away right now though it’s just water so eyes back on the waves but honestly even if we spot nothing this boat ride alone is worth it it’s so peaceful out here and it just feels good to be away from everything now about our chances whales are pretty rare on these trips lorie says they are lucky about 5 to 10% of the time i’ve done a few tours like this before and maybe seen a whale once or twice dolphins though that’s a whole different story they’re curious and love playing in the boat’s bow waves lorie says around 80% of their trips get visits from dolphins and sometimes not just one or two but groups of 20 to 100 still Lori can’t help but point out how frustrating it is that there aren’t stricter rules in place to protect these animals even inside the sanctuary the purpose is to be a sanctuary but no rules here we have many problems we have problem of collision because of the speedness of boats we have problem of plastic pollution we have problem of sound because under the sea is very noisy for animals that’s why sometime you heard some whale or some baby are lost they lost the family group why because it’s too noisy under the water we’ve been out at the sea for about two and a half hours when Rei gives us the green light to jump in for a swim and of course Anna and I aren’t about to say no just imagine it 2,000 m of nothing but deep blue beneath you by the way it’s mid June and the water is surprisingly warm for the season not exactly good news for marine life but for us right now absolute perfection [Music] it’s hands down the best refreshment especially with the heat out here i’m pretty sure we’ve scared off every whale and dolphin between here and Corsica but hey you never know time to head back towards the coast and Lori reassures us it’s not over yet the animals sometimes show up right in the final miles before reaching the shore so we try to keep our hopes up while Lurice serves a little refreshment and honestly we’re just loving the ride out here at 5 knots the intimate non-ouristy vibe on board is the best noisy crowds no megaphone guides just a handful of people a bit of music and total freedom to hang out whatever we like by the way we specifically chose this local whale watching association because they run things in a much more personal low-key way than the bigger operators around here it’s a super respectful experience when it comes to the animals and their natural habitat plus part of the ticket prize goes towards marine life research which we really liked that said to be fair all the other companies we came across here also carry labels like highquality whale watching just when we’ve secretly accepted that we’ll be out of luck today the Belgian couple spots something on their side too everybody jumps up and rushes over and we just about managed to capture this spectacle on camera [Music] three dolphins well that’s what we came for everyone’s hyped and happy now yuri tells us they were striped dolphins and they totally made our day to spare you the suspense no more animals for today we’re slowly making our way back to the harbor but before we wrap things up we wanted to share a little more about Lori and Rei both are certified animal care takers and often get called in when rescued or injured animals need help anywhere along the French Riviera they’ve partnered with various like-minded organizations that value sustainable ecourism just as much as they do and their main goal with trips like this one to show people the beauty of nature hoping it’ll inspire them to help protect it by now we’re all looking forward to having solid ground under our feet again and Anna and I are sure everyone’s taking home a few great memories [Music] no whales this time but we did get dolphins clear blue sea and a swim above 2,000 m of deep blue that’s a pretty solid day out if you ask us don’t forget to like subscribe and come along for the next adventure [Music]