Marine wildlife expeditions are not extreme sports, but they do place physical demands on participants that unprepared travelers sometimes underestimate. Here's what to work on before you go and why it matters.

Swimming and Snorkeling Fitness

The most important preparation is water time. Snorkeling with manta rays or whale sharks involves sustained swimming at the surface, sometimes for 20-40 minutes at a stretch. Orca expeditions in Norway involve getting in and out of drysuits multiple times per day and swimming in cold, sometimes choppy water. Humpback whale encounters in Tonga require calm, controlled movement in open ocean.

If you swim regularly, you're probably fine. If you haven't been in the water for a while, get to a pool 4-6 weeks before your trip and do sessions that mimic what you'll be doing: sustained moderate-pace swimming with your face in the water, breathing through a snorkel, wearing fins. Thirty minutes three times a week for a month will make a meaningful difference to how your body handles the first few days.

Core Strength and Stability

Boats move. Getting in and out of drysuits on a rocking deck requires balance and core stability. Bending over to put on fins requires flexibility. None of this needs to be extreme, but basic core work and hip flexibility reduce the physical awkwardness of the first day and the fatigue of the third. Yoga, Pilates, or a simple daily core routine for 6-8 weeks before departure covers this adequately.

Cold Tolerance

For Arctic expeditions (Norway orcas), cold is a genuine factor. Drysuits manage in-water temperature, but your face and hands are exposed. Getting comfortable with cold beforehand, cold showers, outdoor swims in cool water, reduces the shock response that can make early encounters harder to enjoy. It also trains your breathing to stay calm in cold conditions, which directly improves the quality of your in-water time.

Cardiovascular Base

You don't need to be fit in the athlete sense, but basic cardiovascular capacity helps. Long days on boats followed by physical water sessions are tiring in a way that accumulates across a week. People with a decent aerobic base, meaning they can walk 45 minutes at a moderate pace without struggling, handle this comfortably. If you're currently sedentary, adding 30 minutes of daily walking for 6 weeks before departure is the single highest-return preparation you can do.

What Not to Worry About

You don't need to be a strong swimmer in the athletic sense. Fins do most of the work. You don't need freediving skills for most encounters, which happen at the surface. You don't need to be young or particularly athletic. Most wildlife expeditions accommodate a wide range of ages and fitness levels. The preparation above is about maximizing enjoyment, not meeting a minimum threshold. Show up in reasonable health and the trip will work.