How fast can whales swim?
Whales swim at different speeds depending on what they are doing. They swim faster when they are in danger than when they are not. They swim faster at the surface than in a deep dive and they swim pretty fast when they leap out of the water. Dolphins moving through the water alongside a boat have attained speeds of 39km/hour (21 knots) over short distances. Migrating whales have been recorded travelling distances of over 3,700km (2,000 nautical miles) at an average continuous speed of 17km/hour (9 knots). These speeds are probably unusual, and prolonged cruising speeds are probably between 9 & 17km/hour (5-9 knots) for dolphins and between 4 & 30km/hour (2-16 knots) for the fast moving rorquals.
Whales swim at different speeds depending on what they are doing. They swim faster when they are in danger than when they are not. They swim faster at the surface than in a deep dive and they swim pretty fast when they leap out of the water. Dolphins moving through the water alongside a boat have attained speeds of 39km/hour (21 knots) over short distances. Migrating whales have been recorded travelling distances of over 3,700km (2,000 nautical miles) at an average continuous speed of 17km/hour (9 knots).