The BEST episodes of Whale Wars

Every episode of Whale Wars ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Whale Wars!

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society goes to extreme lengths to make what they view as illegal whaling operations extinct. Animal Planet is there to capture all the action.

Last Updated: 3/20/2024Network: Animal PlanetStatus: Ended
Share:
A Commander Rises
star
9.06
16 votes

#1 - A Commander Rises

Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 12/13/2013

Note: This will be the only episode this season. Now armed with four vessels while Watson watches from his self-imposed confinement in his quarters aboard the Steve Irwin, the small Sea Shepherd armada has appointed four new captains to continue the mission: Siddarth "Sid" Chakravarty with the main vessel, Steve Irwin; Peter Hammarstedt taking the helm of the icebreaker Bob Barker; Jean Yves Terlan piloting the speedy trimaran Brigitte Bardot; and Luis Manuel Pinho onboard the newcomer ship Sam Simon, named after Sea Shepherd donor, animal rights activist and executive producer of THE SIMPSONS.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Crazy Ivan
star
8.61
106 votes

#2 - Crazy Ivan

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/7/2009

Low on fuel, the small boats head toward the Steve Irwin, but in order to get them on board safely, Paul must employ a dangerous military strategy, "The Crazy Ivan," circling at a high speed to try and create calm water for the little boats to return.

Watch Now:Amazon
From Pirate to Prisoner
star
8.49
134 votes

#3 - From Pirate to Prisoner

Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 9/3/2010

Pete Bethune recounts his experience aboard the Japanese security vessel.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Flexibility of Steel
star
8.35
79 votes

#4 - The Flexibility of Steel

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/12/2009

A huge weather system moves in and the Steve Irwin is forced to take shelter behind a large iceberg. By morning, they are surrounded by ice so thick they can no longer move. The ice begins to push against the aging ship's fragile hull, denting it inwards.

Watch Now:Amazon
International Incidents R Us
star
8.32
146 votes

#5 - International Incidents R Us

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/21/2008

Without negotiation and confrontation with the MV Steve Irwin, the Yushin Maru № 2 agreed to transfer Pottsy and Giles to a government ship that would then meet with the Steve Irwin at a rendezvous point to return the two members. 1st Mate Peter Brown decides to launch an attack on the Yushin Maru № 2 at dusk. Four crewmembers are sent on the Zodiac inflatable boat Delta to carry out the risky mission. After losing radio contact with them, recon pilot Chris Aultman, who was sent too late to survey the situation, reports that they are heading in the wrong direction and must return as night falls. The lone Delta was feared to be forever lost out in the middle of the dark, frigid, vast Antarctic Ocean. Fortunately, contact was finally made with the Delta, which eventually returns to the MV Steve Irwin over two hours later and behind schedule to retrieve Pottsy and Giles.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Stealth Attack
star
8.31
166 votes

#6 - Stealth Attack

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/25/2010

The Sea Shepherd's stealth boat, the Ady Gil, launches a sneak attack on the Japanese whaling reconnaissance vessel in an effort to break free of the tail and find the rest of the whaling fleet.

Watch Now:Amazon
Crossing Danger
star
8.21
142 votes

#7 - Crossing Danger

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/11/2010

A Japanese reconnaissance ship pursues the Steve Irwin; two members of the Andy Gil crew suffer illness and injury; the Bob Barker's engine fails two days into its journey.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Darkest Hour
star
8.19
31 votes

#8 - The Darkest Hour

Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/2/2015

The battle to stop whaling reaches its apex as the Bob Barker and a Japanese harpoon ship collide. Sea Shepherd's only hope is to track the whaling fleet by helicopter, but when blizzard conditions block communications and freeze instruments, hope fades.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Thrill of the Chase
star
8.16
198 votes

#9 - The Thrill of the Chase

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/9/2010

After nearly a month of searching, the Sea Shepherds have finally found their ultimate target: the world's only whale factory ship, the Nisshin Maru.

Watch Now:Amazon
Delivering the Final Blow
star
8.11
111 votes

#10 - Delivering the Final Blow

Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 8/12/2011

In the fourth-season finale, Watson claims a major victory after 30 years of fighting, while he and the crew reaffirm their commitment to stopping the whaling fleet.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Needle in a Haystack
star
8.07
157 votes

#11 - Needle in a Haystack

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/7/2008

Paul Watson is allegedly shot by the Japanese whaling crew during a confrontation between the whaling factory ship Nisshin Maru and the Sea Shepherd vessel MV Steve Irwin. The episode then flashes back to the maiden launching and departure of the vessel from homeport three months earlier.

From Hell's Heart
star
8.03
137 votes

#12 - From Hell's Heart

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/18/2010

The Sea Shepherds have been relentlessly followed by the whaling reconnaissance vessel for two weeks. They find themselves in a full-on engagement on the high seas as Captain Paul Watson orders a massive butyric acid bottle attack on his nemesis.

Watch Now:Amazon
A Bloody Trail
star
8.01
197 votes

#13 - A Bloody Trail

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/6/2010

As the Sea Shepherds approach the Nisshin Maru, they are suddenly surrounded by four whaling vessels. Suddenly, one of the Japanese vessels moves in dangerously close, and as the deck crew quickly braces themselves, the ships violently collide.

Watch Now:Amazon
Revenge Is Mine
star
8.00
135 votes

#14 - Revenge Is Mine

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/23/2010

In the aftermath of the devastating loss of their stealth vessel, the Sea Shepherds have returned to the campaign with renewed passion and intensity. Now the two remaining ships are back on the hunt for the Japanese fleet.

Watch Now:Amazon
Doors Slamming and Things Breaking
star
7.99
141 votes

#15 - Doors Slamming and Things Breaking

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/5/2008

The MV Steve Irwin experiences several technical difficulties, including a damaged engine, hydraulic crane, and helicopter. Running on only one engine, the ship must return to port at Melbourne, Australia to make repairs while the whaling continues. Some crewmembers decide to party and leave the operation. Upon arrival, they were welcomely greeted and cheered by the citizens, and by the police. Pottsy and Giles become instant celebrities on homecoming. After recruiting new members, the crew travels without its recon chopper and returns to the Southern Ocean only to find that the suspicious ship is still following them.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Surrounded by Spies
star
7.99
138 votes

#16 - Surrounded by Spies

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/4/2010

The Sea Shepherds embark on another dangerous campaign as whaling season begins in the Antarctic; a donation from former game-show host Bob Barker allows the group to purchase a former Norwegian whaling vessel.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Desire to Fling Things
star
7.99
108 votes

#17 - The Desire to Fling Things

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/24/2009

Captain Watson is in pursuit of the Nisshin Maru when all three Japanese harpoon ships suddenly appear on out of the fog. The Sea Shepherds are completely outnumbered.

Watch Now:Amazon
Bait and Switch
star
7.99
104 votes

#18 - Bait and Switch

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 7/31/2009

As the Sea Shepherds prepare for their fourth straight day of engagement with the Japanese whaling fleet, Andy and Simon argue with Dan over the best strategy for attack.

Watch Now:Amazon
Crossing the Line
star
7.96
23 votes

#19 - Crossing the Line

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/29/2012

The exhausted crew of the Brigitte Bardot scramble to evacuate the ailing vessel. And Captain Paul Watson goes on the offensive, sending a team to board the heavily armed security vessel: the Shonan Maru.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
As Bad As Our Bark
star
7.93
111 votes

#20 - As Bad As Our Bark

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/19/2009

The Sea Shepherd gather intel on the fleet's location, they realize that they are low on fuel. As they weigh whether or not to head back to port, they come across the entire Japanese fleet searching for one of their crewmembers that has fallen overboard.

Watch Now:Amazon
Into the Belly of the Beast
star
7.92
24 votes

#21 - Into the Belly of the Beast

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/22/2012

With the Japanese fleet's security vessel looming on the horizon, the captain of the badly damaged Brigitte Bardot orders his crew to evacuate the boat. Meanwhile, in Antarctica, the Bob Barker deploys the small boats team to disable a harpoon ship.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Nothing's Ideal
star
7.84
116 votes

#22 - Nothing's Ideal

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/14/2008

After weeks of searching, the Sea Shepherds finally spot a Japanese whaling ship, the harpoon vessel Yushin Maru #2. Captain Paul Watson devises a dangerous plan for two of his crew members to board the vessel and deliver a letter telling them to stop the killing of whales. He hopes to create an international incident, but his plan sparks a safety debate that divides the crew. Two volunteers enlist for the mission — Ben Potts and Giles Lane — and the crew braces for the worst as the men jump over the railing of the enemy ship. They are immediately tied up by the Japanese fishermen, and the Yushin speeds away with the two Shepherds still aboard.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Sliced In Two
star
7.84
195 votes

#23 - Sliced In Two

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/16/2010

At the bottom of the world, a collision has just devastated one of the Sea Shepherds' vessels. The crew on the other vessel stand helpless on their deck, watching in horror as the Japanese vessel barrels through the Sea Shepherds' prized speedboat.

Watch Now:Amazon
Battle Stations
star
7.84
166 votes

#24 - Battle Stations

Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 7/29/2011

The Bob Barker and Gojira launch an ambitious assault on the harpoon ship that has been following them and manage to completely disable the whaling vessel. Now free of its tail, the Barker continues searching for their ultimate target, the Nisshin Maru.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Overlooking a Forlorn Shore
star
7.79
112 votes

#25 - Overlooking a Forlorn Shore

Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 8/21/2009

Season Finale.The Sea Shepherds continue to attempt to disrupt the whaling fleet's operations. When the Yushin 3 tries to transfer a dead whale to the Nisshin Maru, Captain Watson maneuvers his ship to block the transfer resulting in a full-speed collision.