Many people believe that whale watching requires traveling to Australia, the United States, or Japan. However, Southeast Asian waters are also home to a rich variety of marine mammals.

As one of the world's marine biodiversity hotspots, Southeast Asian seas are inhabited by over 3,000 fish species and 600 coral species, attracting a wide range of marine mammals as well.

Marcus Chua, a mammal expert from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at the National University of Singapore, noted that the presence of marine mammals indicates a thriving ecosystem capable of supporting large predators (like whales) or large herbivores (like dugongs).Humans are highly dependent on the ocean, yet the marine ecosystems around us have severely deteriorated. (Photo/Source: Pexels)

Louisa Ponnampalam, co-founder of Malaysia’s MareCet Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Organization, warned that the disappearance of marine mammals would signal that their habitat is no longer suitable for survival. "If these species can no longer survive, it means that our surrounding marine ecosystems have deteriorated severely. Whether we realize it or not, humans are highly dependent on the ocean," she said.

Between October and January, humpback whales migrate to the waters of the Philippines and Thailand in search of warmer seas for mating and breeding. These massive creatures can grow up to 18.3 meters in length and weigh as much as 36,280 kilograms — roughly the combined weight of three to five buses.