Whale Connection Journey Mo’orea
Above Art by Verena Wild
photo by Sundran Krebs
Whale Connection Journey Retreats
✨ Emerge into the Infinite Blue with the Humpback Whales of Mystical Mo’orea ✨
October 18 - 24, 2026
October 26 - 31, 2026
Are you called to commune in close connection with the Humpback Whales?
Are you ready to honor your soul’s desire to merge in sacred dance with these immense, gentle cetaceans?
Be in pure presence with the magic…the time has come to Say Yes!
You are lovingly invited to join us on a magical journey on Mo’orea, French Polynesia to swim with the Humpback Whales: the Tohorā. Connect and play with these majestic beings in sacred communion in the deep blue waters… merge into the calm turquoise lagoons that wrap the tiny serene island of Mo’orea. Snorkel amongst healthy, vibrant reefs of purple and pink corals, dancing anemones, and wondrous creatures of rainbow colors. Glide in the silky waters with sharks, rays, turtles & fish. Feel a renewal on a deep cellular level as you float in the warm, jewel-like waters. Gaze upon the mystical green mountains of Mo’orea, with their towers & pyramids.
Feel, and hold forever, the ecstasy and exhilaration that comes with experiencing these close encounters with our cetacean beloveds! After the ocean journeys relax luxuriously at our oceanfront home, the sea just steps from your door for more delight. Nourish your body temple with fresh and local plant-based meals made with pure love by our amazing private chef. With the intention of connection and integration, we will share circles that will include meditations to connect with the whales and our own inner wisdom and crystal bowl sound baths. You are invited to join our pod and immerse yourself in this transformative ocean expedition.
This journey is life-changing!
⚠️Please note: the French Polynesian government made stricter regulations in 2025. The amount of people in the water with the whales is 6 people at a time from each boat. I have curated our Expeditions with these new guidelines in mind & have kept the number of participants small & intimate at 5 people. Everyone will have EVERY opportunity to get in the water with the whales, and unlike many retreats & boats in Mo’orea, we will NOT be taking turns in the water with the whales!
🐋🩵 What is included:
🤲🏼 Intimate Pod:
•Each retreat will have an intimate group of 5 participants, or pod-members, plus your guide, Darby & our private plant-based chef.
•This gives each pod member more spaciousness on the boat & in the sea with the whales, and more attention from our guides.
•Within this intimate group we will build life-long connections and community, and grow, laugh & learn together on our marvelous journey.
🛖 Accommodations:
•6 nights in our gorgeous, oceanfront home: We will enjoy staying in two homes on an ocean front property. Every participant will have a private bedroom with a queen sized bed and A/C. Some rooms have private baths, others will share a bath with one other. Each home has a full kitchen, comfortable living room, large lanai (porch), outdoor shower, small pool, clothes washer. We have a lovely yard and garden, great for yoga, stretching and movement. We have our own gate to enter the beach to enjoy beach walks, shelling (some of the best shelling ever!) sunsets and sunrises!
⛵️ Whale Boat Journeys:
•4 journeys into the deep blue sea to connect with humpback whales. These life-changing encounters often include potent sound baths from singing whales, mother and baby darshan, witnessing activity like breeching or tail slaps and so much more!
•Guided by local Tahitian experts, and our experienced captain.
•Support and guidance from Darby, midwifing you in the sea with song, breath, and ceremony.
🪸 Underwater Adventures:
•Snorkel with friendly reef sharks, stingrays, sea turtles and much more in the calm, turquoise lagoon.
•Experience the healthiest coral reefs in the world, snorkeling the vibrant coral gardens of Mo’orea.
👩🍳 Culinary Delights:
•Nourish your body temple with delectable, fresh meals prepared with love by our private chef, specializing in high-vibrational, vibrant and nourishing plant-based dishes.
🧜🏼♀️ Special Ceremonies:
•Opening Water Blessing Ceremony with Tahitian medicine men: Tahua with the receiving of a Hiva-Oa: Tahitian flower crown.
•Crystal Bowl Sound Healing
🧘🏽♀️ Daily Practices:
•Whale Connection Meditations and Integration Circles with your pod.
•Nutritive Herbal Teas featuring freshly gathered Hawaiian herbs and Tahitian blossoms.
💎 Cultural & Conservation Highlights:
•Choose your own Tahitian pearls and design your personal jewelry with a local artisan.
•A portion of our profits is donated to Coral Gardeners, a revolutionary Tahitian organization dedicated to restoring coral reefs.
🏊♀️ Swimming with Whales, Strength, Fitness & Gear:
•We will be swimming as a pod in the open ocean, sometimes the length of a football field (300 feet) to connect with the whales. We respect their space by keeping the boat at a distance as to do not disturb them. You will receive support & guidance. We flow in utmost respect for the whales in the ocean, always welcoming connections that are initiated by the whales.
•Whale Connection Journey is for people who are strong & fit. No open ocean swimming experience necessary.
•A high quality, well-fitting mask & snorkel, fins & wetsuit are required for your optimal ease & comfort of the experience.
Please note: We adhere to all local ecologically conscious guidelines and rules, respecting the whales and their space every time. The whales lead the interactions.
✈️ Travel Info:
•Hold a Valid Passport.
•Travel to airport: Papette: PPT in Tahiti. There are direct flights from Honolulu, San Francisco, LAX, Seattle. When you arrive Tahiti, take the Ferry to Mo’orea. It is a 30-45 minute ferry ride. As ferries don’t travel in the evening, if you arrive after 5 pm you will stay at a hotel near PPT airport that night & take the ferry the next morning. When you arrive Mo’orea you will take a taxi to our retreat house. You can also choose to rent a car, it is recommended to do so at PPT airport.
•All the info & support needed to travel to the island Mo’orea is available from Darby.
✨🐋✨🐋✨🐋✨🐋✨
(Does not include: Airfare to and from Tahiti, ferry to Mo’orea, snacks & extra meals desired and other personal travel expenses.)
Whale Connection Journey Retreats
✨ Emerge into the Infinite Blue with the Humpback Whales of Mystical Mo’orea ✨
October 18 - 24, 2026
October 26 - 31, 2026
Are you called to commune in close connection with the Humpback Whales?
Are you ready to honor your soul’s desire to merge in sacred dance with these immense, gentle cetaceans?
Be in pure presence with the magic…the time has come to Say Yes!
You are lovingly invited to join us on a magical journey on Mo’orea, French Polynesia to swim with the Humpback Whales: the Tohorā. Connect and play with these majestic beings in sacred communion in the deep blue waters… merge into the calm turquoise lagoons that wrap the tiny serene island of Mo’orea. Snorkel amongst healthy, vibrant reefs of purple and pink corals, dancing anemones, and wondrous creatures of rainbow colors. Glide in the silky waters with sharks, rays, turtles & fish. Feel a renewal on a deep cellular level as you float in the warm, jewel-like waters. Gaze upon the mystical green mountains of Mo’orea, with their towers & pyramids.
Feel, and hold forever, the ecstasy and exhilaration that comes with experiencing these close encounters with our cetacean beloveds! After the ocean journeys relax luxuriously at our oceanfront home, the sea just steps from your door for more delight. Nourish your body temple with fresh and local plant-based meals made with pure love by our amazing private chef. With the intention of connection and integration, we will share circles that will include meditations to connect with the whales and our own inner wisdom and crystal bowl sound baths. You are invited to join our pod and immerse yourself in this transformative ocean expedition.
This journey is life-changing!
⚠️Please note: the French Polynesian government made stricter regulations in 2025. The amount of people in the water with the whales is 6 people at a time from each boat. I have curated our Expeditions with these new guidelines in mind & have kept the number of participants small & intimate at 5 people. Everyone will have EVERY opportunity to get in the water with the whales, and unlike many retreats & boats in Mo’orea, we will NOT be taking turns in the water with the whales!
🐋🩵 What is included:
🤲🏼 Intimate Pod:
•Each retreat will have an intimate group of 5 participants, or pod-members, plus your guide, Darby & our private plant-based chef.
•This gives each pod member more spaciousness on the boat & in the sea with the whales, and more attention from our guides.
•Within this intimate group we will build life-long connections and community, and grow, laugh & learn together on our marvelous journey.
🛖 Accommodations:
•6 nights in our gorgeous, oceanfront home: We will enjoy staying in two homes on an ocean front property. Every participant will have a private bedroom with a queen sized bed and A/C. Some rooms have private baths, others will share a bath with one other. Each home has a full kitchen, comfortable living room, large lanai (porch), outdoor shower, small pool, clothes washer. We have a lovely yard and garden, great for yoga, stretching and movement. We have our own gate to enter the beach to enjoy beach walks, shelling (some of the best shelling ever!) sunsets and sunrises!
⛵️ Whale Boat Journeys:
•4 journeys into the deep blue sea to connect with humpback whales. These life-changing encounters often include potent sound baths from singing whales, mother and baby darshan, witnessing activity like breeching or tail slaps and so much more!
•Guided by local Tahitian experts, and our experienced captain.
•Support and guidance from Darby, midwifing you in the sea with song, breath, and ceremony.
🪸 Underwater Adventures:
•Snorkel with friendly reef sharks, stingrays, sea turtles and much more in the calm, turquoise lagoon.
•Experience the healthiest coral reefs in the world, snorkeling the vibrant coral gardens of Mo’orea.
👩🍳 Culinary Delights:
•Nourish your body temple with delectable, fresh meals prepared with love by our private chef, specializing in high-vibrational, vibrant and nourishing plant-based dishes.
🧜🏼♀️ Special Ceremonies:
•Opening Water Blessing Ceremony with Tahitian medicine men: Tahua with the receiving of a Hiva-Oa: Tahitian flower crown.
•Crystal Bowl Sound Healing
🧘🏽♀️ Daily Practices:
•Whale Connection Meditations and Integration Circles with your pod.
•Nutritive Herbal Teas featuring freshly gathered Hawaiian herbs and Tahitian blossoms.
💎 Cultural & Conservation Highlights:
•Choose your own Tahitian pearls and design your personal jewelry with a local artisan.
•A portion of our profits is donated to Coral Gardeners, a revolutionary Tahitian organization dedicated to restoring coral reefs.
🏊♀️ Swimming with Whales, Strength, Fitness & Gear:
•We will be swimming as a pod in the open ocean, sometimes the length of a football field (300 feet) to connect with the whales. We respect their space by keeping the boat at a distance as to do not disturb them. You will receive support & guidance. We flow in utmost respect for the whales in the ocean, always welcoming connections that are initiated by the whales.
•Whale Connection Journey is for people who are strong & fit. No open ocean swimming experience necessary.
•A high quality, well-fitting mask & snorkel, fins & wetsuit are required for your optimal ease & comfort of the experience.
Please note: We adhere to all local ecologically conscious guidelines and rules, respecting the whales and their space every time. The whales lead the interactions.
✈️ Travel Info:
•Hold a Valid Passport.
•Travel to airport: Papette: PPT in Tahiti. There are direct flights from Honolulu, San Francisco, LAX, Seattle. When you arrive Tahiti, take the Ferry to Mo’orea. It is a 30-45 minute ferry ride. As ferries don’t travel in the evening, if you arrive after 5 pm you will stay at a hotel near PPT airport that night & take the ferry the next morning. When you arrive Mo’orea you will take a taxi to our retreat house. You can also choose to rent a car, it is recommended to do so at PPT airport.
•All the info & support needed to travel to the island Mo’orea is available from Darby.
✨🐋✨🐋✨🐋✨🐋✨
(Does not include: Airfare to and from Tahiti, ferry to Mo’orea, snacks & extra meals desired and other personal travel expenses.)
Our Oceanfront Accommodations:
About Your Guide & Ceremonialist for the Journey:
🐋🩵 About your guide and retreat leader: Darby is a mermaid and a midwife. She is an experienced retreat leader, licensed midwife, holistic women’s healthcare practitioner, ceremonialist and practicing herbalist. She specializes in water birth, dolphin and nature-assisted birth and yoni steam ceremonies. Darby has been a lover of the ocean and a strong swimmer her whole life. Some of her earliest memories are exploring the beach, and holding her breath to swim as a young child. One of her greatest passions is being in the ocean connecting with the cetaceans, the whales and dolphins, and the sharks and many other ocean creatures, swimming, snorkeling, freediving, and scuba diving. She has been blessed to enjoy this bliss for over 20 years and especially since her arrival to live on the island of Hawai’i in 2013. Darby has organized and led Whale Connection Journeys in Kona, Hawai’i since 2014. When she is in the water with the humpback whales, she feels as though she has truly come home, and connected once again to our ancient Lemurian home. Mo’orea’s pure turquoise waters are her delight & joy! The whales & the sacred clear waters are in her meditations daily. 2026 will be Darby’s fourth journey to Mo’orea. In the Autumn of 2023 Darby traveled solo to Mo’orea and delighted in the beauty and magic of French Polynesia and her heart burst with joy with the precious whale connections. In 2024 & 2025 Darby enjoyed leading successful and magical retreats in Mo’orea. Darby is excited and honored to midwife you during the life-changing, rare and amazing experiences of heart to heart, eye to eye, close encounters with the humpback whales.
About your Chef & Nourishment Alchemist:
🐋🩵 About your Chef: Serene travelled to Mo'orea in 2025 and there she fell in love with the island, the ocean and the whales. She enjoyed the New Moon retreat with Darby, and then stayed to serve as chef for the Full Moon retreat. She has been passionate about healthy, vibrant whole foods meals for decades. She believes our food is our medicine, and that meals made with love, and eaten with loved ones provide even more nourishment! She enjoys serving others though planning, preparing and cooking beautiful meals with love. She offers her kind heart, and serene energy to the group as well. Serene is also a natural fiber clothing designer and seamstress. We are thrilled and blessed that she is part of the team again this year.
Investment:
🏝️ Early Bird Delight: $3999 (Book before 4/1/26) a $223 Discount!
🏝️ Bliss Package: $4222
Payment Plans Available, please inquire
We are so very excited for this marvelous adventure and opportunity with you!
Email or call Darby at [email protected] 808-313-2428 to register and for more information.
Testimonials:
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What Mer-People are saying about the Whale Connection Journey:
“Darby understands that these animals are our ancestors. They are our forever family. The whales can feel the love in Darby’s heart as she brings participants to them, and they gift their presence in response to that love. She has done all of the groundwork for her retreat guests to simply show up and bask in the glory of their presence. This experience changed my life, and I’m so glad I went in Darby’s loving care.” ~ Kelly R. ”The Whale Connection Journey was a five star experience on all levels! Every effort was made to align us with the very best possible whale experience and that’s exactly what happened. The location, the people, the food everything was amazing. I highly recommend you join the whale steward, Darby and her amazing team on this once in a lifetime opportunity.” ~ Sky K. “What an aamazing retreat! Life changing, really. Our housing was right on the ocean, at the most beautiful spot. We could see whales during our meals! Chef Terry made the most nourishing meals. We made lovely island friends, and loved everyone in our whale pod... Thank you so much, I will cherish every memory of this journey for the rest of my life” ~Omra K. “ Connecting with humpback whales in Mo’orea was truly a spiritual experience for me. I’m so grateful to Darby for creating such a loving container, & bringing like minded water lovers together in the beautiful island of Mo’orea. I cannot wait to return! “ ~ Heather M. “The experience from start to finish was magical. Darby has a very warm, maternal energy. The retreat location was perfect and spacious enough that everyone could take time alone to reflect on each day without interruption. Activities were plentiful, but not in a way that created stress or chaos. The food was also nourishing and delicious. I highly recommend this retreat.“ ~Jane R. “The Whale Connection Journey was absolutely amazing! We had a life changing encounter with the whales that I will never forget! Thank you Darby for coordinating this and making my dreams come true!” ~Deva M. |
Team Whale Connection Journey:
Māuruuru Tohorā, Mahalo Koholā, Gratitude Beloved Whales
Darby Partner CPM LM Hawaii Holistic Midwifery 808.313.2428 [email protected] Kona, Big Island, Hawaii