Viewing dolphins and whales in the wild is exhilarating and Timor-Leste is a top location for this. While dolphins and especially the smaller whales, such as short-finned pilot and melon-headed, can be seen year round, from October to December the Wetar Strait separating Dili and Atauro becomes a major migratory route (a marine super highway) between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. During this time different species of whales – including the blue, beaked, humpback, sperm, killer, short-finned pilot and melon-headed, along with very large pods of dolphins – can be viewed from cruise boats and the shoreline. Marine scientists refer to Timor-Leste as a global hotspot for whales and dolphins due to their abundance, diversity and sheer density of numbers. Some of the diving operators run dolphin & whale watching cruises on a charter basis during the migration season.