Hundreds of thousands of people around the globe are afraid of whales. The intense fear of whales is termed as Cetaphobia, a word that has its origins in Latin Cetus meaning large fish and phobos which is the Greek God of fear.
People having an extreme fear of whales cannot bear to think, see or talk about whales. Watching a movie about (or an image of) these large creatures can cause a full blown panic attack in the sufferer. Most Cetaphobes do not suffer the symptoms of their phobia on a day to day basis; only when they suddenly encounter a whale which is usually through media or TV. Other people tend to laugh at this seemingly irrational fear; after all, the chances of the phobic encountering a whale are usually very small. While the phobic also realizes that such fear is irrational and has no grounds, s/he simply cannot control it.
Let us study the causes, symptoms and treatment for the phobia.
Causes of Cetaphobia
As stated before, the fear of whales is usually triggered in one’s childhood on account of having watched films or movies related to whales. An online forum dedicated to various phobias has people contributing their experiences pertaining to their fears and in case of Cetaphobia, most phobics explained that their fear began after having watched the movie Finding Nemo. (Others had similar experiences of panic attacks after watching whales depicted in Free Willy, Fantasia 2000 or Pinocchio). In each case, the whale, an inherently gigantic creature, is portrayed as a creeping up slowly on unsuspecting characters. The large screen in a movie theater can greatly exacerbate this fear in nervous minded individuals or small children.
Killer whales are usually portrayed as vicious and blood thirsty creatures. It is believed that many Japanese fishermen and tribal members of the Inuit developed the fear of these whales while hunting them. (In reality, they need to fear environmental organizations more than the whales, since killing whales is against the Law and could lead to hefty penalties or serious jail time).
Other causes of Cetaphobia include the fear of monsters which most children have. These usually go away as the child grows up; however, many continue to experience the fear well into their adulthood.
A traumatic event related to whales such as a large dying whale washing up on the beach etc could also cause anxious minded people to start fearing whales.
The fear of the ocean or the fear of the sea having huge whales in it can cause the phobic to avoid the beach. Many tend to get recurrent nightmares of being swallowed alive by whales (where no one would ever find their dead body). Such dreams and thoughts can cause intense panic in the individual.
Symptoms of Whales Phobia
Like all other phobias, the fear of whales can cause various symptoms such as:
- Dry mouth, rapid breathing, palpitations etc
- Shaking and trembling
- Feeling like fleeing, covering one’s eyes or running away and hiding when an image of a whale comes up in books or on TV etc
- Crying, screaming, and getting hysterical. Having recurrent nightmares of being swallowed by whales.
As most people are unable to understand the rationale behind such fear, the phobics tend to be laughed at or ridiculed. This causes them to further withdraw within themselves or feel depressed. Often, Catephobia accompanies other phobias such as Agoraphobia, Thanatophobia, fear of water etc.
Treating and overcoming the fear of whales phobia
Gradual desensitization is the best way of overcoming the fear of whales. The phobic should try to gather up courage and view videos or movies about these gigantic creatures. However, this therapy is best done under the guidance of a professional who can help one start small. For example, the phobic might be asked to simply think of whales, progressing on to viewing their pictures and movies gradually, each time overcoming the anxiety experienced though deep breathing, muscle relaxation etc.
Another technique that can help overcome most phobias is Hypnosis/hypnotherapy. This helps get to the root of the phobia and eliminate it completely. Others include NLP or the neurolinguistic programming and Cognitive behavior therapy.
Self education is also a must while trying to overcome the intense fear of whales. Whales are, by nature peaceful and will not intentionally harm humans. They are mammals that nurse their young. They usually live only in the deepest parts of the ocean. Some statistics will also show that human deaths owing to whales are few and rare.
Other techniques to overcome anxiety pertaining to Cetaphobia include meditating, positive visualization therapy etc. Talking about one’s fear in group therapy or with an experienced psychiatrist can also help one overcome the fear of whales’ phobia once and for all.
Mariana Rollins says
I’ve never gotten scared when watching Pinocchio or Finding Nemo, but I was watching a show with my dad about animals, plants, nature, etc. I’m pretty sure the episode we watched was about marine animals, and I saw a whale, but it never affected me as a kid. Watching that same episode now as an adult just creeps me out for some reason. I can’t stand to look at a whale for some reason. It may be the size and the sound of the whale, but at the same time, it’s probably everything about it. Can someone tell me why I wasn’t scared as a kid but scared as an adult now? Thank you.
Zara Ritter says
OH MY GOSH! Thank you so much for this article. It all makes so much sense now! I watched Finding Nemo, Pinnochio, and Free Willy and cried every time there was a whale because it scared me so much. I was so freaked out when I saw them and didn’t know why. That has also led me to be scared of the ocean in general. I’m so glad I’ve found people who have experienced this. I’ve found my people, lol.
miranda says
I’m with you! I feel so seen – my mom took me on a whale-watching trip when I was 8. I was sobbing in the boat, rocking back and forth, and I never recovered from that fear. Nice to know others have a similar life experience.
Hannah Stone says
I used to never be afraid of the ocean or whales. I’ve seen videos, movies, and pictures of whales, but what started my phobia was a nightmare. Not of being swallowed but being stranded in the middle of the ocean and a ginormous whale swimming under me. Ever since then, I cannot stand to see anything about them. I shriek and have to cover my face to keep from having a full-blown panic attack. I’ve had recurring nightmares about them. Really any freakishly large fish creeps me out, and it’s led to my fear of the deep ocean. I realize it’s not rational, but it’s true that I can’t help it. My family understands, and they admit it creeps them out too. It makes sense that it’s triggered in anxious individuals. My phobia developed around the time I began dealing with anxiety and depression. I think this phobia really comes down to fear of the unknown and things out of my control, like a huge, terrifying fish swimming in the ocean, which sadly led to my fear of whales.
Shadow says
I experienced the same thing. I used to watch movies and documentaries when I was a kid. I also had a nightmare when I was 6 years old. The whale was above me, and I was trying to swim away from there. However, after that, I was totally scared to bathe if there was no light. I never close my eyes while I’m bathing, and I don’t swim.
Sam says
I agree. I live in Alaska and went on a Kenai Fjords boat ride. I encountered a whale and had a massive panic attack. I have nightmares of orcas crawling on the land of a tiny island I live on in my dreams. It’s a full-on horror movie in my dreams. I can’t watch people kayaking next to them, or I will start sweating and get so dizzy. I found one other person who has the same phobia. Everyone else thinks it’s a joke or ridiculous. It’s not.
Olivia says
I don’t have a fear of big things, but when it comes to thinking of whales in the ocean, I get scared of how big they are. I use a sound box to help me sleep. I usually put it on stream but tried out whale sounds and was scared. I don’t have any past things with whales and don’t have a problem watching Pinocchio of anything, and I live in Minnesota. There really is no reason for my phobia, but it’s just there. I’m still on the search for answers.
B. M. says
I also thought there would not be many who are afraid of whales. I was wrong. I am terrified of them, and I am constantly laughed at as I was born and raised in Hungary, where there is ocean or sea nowhere to be found. When I saw Cast Away I already knew there was something terribly wrong with that scene, but it took me a while to name this. The thought of being in the ocean alone with that whale. My palms are wet from just writing it. I’m watching Keeping up with the Kardashian’s season 8 now (a few years late), and Khloe just said she is afraid of whales. This is the first time I heard it even mentioned by anyone else than me, and it made me look it up.
Mikayla says
I have been afraid of whales for my entire life. It is ruining my family. My mom longs to go whale watching, but I cannot oblige. I am not sure when it began, but I cannot even stand to think of a baby whale. I hope to desensitize myself by watching whale videos. Wish me luck!
Chris says
I don’t even know where to start. It’s the killer whales that just make me cringe. What’s crazy is that it’s the whale that frightens me. I can’t face them on tv for some reason. I think it was the many sea world commercials when I was younger. They are big black beasts and the way they creep up in water.. I just can’t stand to look at them. I tried to watch a hells kitchen episode in season 7 where the blue team wins and goes to sea world, obviously to see Shamu. When they arrive, seeing them in the aquarium, I tried to face them but had to look away. I feel like a wuss but I was traumatized repeatedly seeing them everywhere as a kid. I heard there are ways to get help for this phobia but I don’t know.
Zara Ritter says
YES, something about killer whales freaks me out, and I just can’t stand them. My friends make fun of me for it. We were watching free willy, and they laughed at me for being scared of the killer whale, but it was terrifying.
Sean says
I’ve been terrified of whales since I was a kid, no idea where it comes from, maybe Pinocchio or my religious family telling the story of Jonah and the whale. I’ve been a sailor for years now, a merchant mariner crossing the ocean several times a year and I’m not so much afraid of my ship sinking as I am that we’ll go down and I’d be face to face with a giant whale once I’m in the water. Just typing that gives me a fair amount of anxiety. I know it’s stupid and my shipmates have given me hell for it but I can’t help it. After years of having this fear I looked it up just an hour ago and I’m so relieved I’m not the only one. We should form a support group or something lol.
Zara Ritter says
We definitely should. I need this.
Steve E says
I came to this article from a search, looking for answers as to why I have a fear of whales. In my case, the childhood trauma I experienced during the Pinocchio movie was somehow re-awakened after I developed PTSD (unrelated to the Pinocchio trauma). I’ve always been susceptible to heightened anxiety because of an underlying borderline personality disorder (this is what ultimately enabled the PTSD to take hold – I experience amplified anxiety and fight-or-flight responses in stressful situations).
Sean says
I mentioned it in my comment and I’m not sure if it’s applicable to anyone else but growing up in a religious family and hearing the story of Jonah and the whale definitely may play a part in my fear.
kaydhen says
I was thinking it was that or finding nemo.
Travis Lord says
I can’t say for sure whether any one piece of media in my childhood had caused me to fear whales, but if there was, I may simply not recall it. Perhaps my fear has more to do with giant creatures in general, maybe particular to the sea, as I was afraid of running into the giant squids in Wind Waker, but it was never quite the same reaction that I’d get just thinking about whales. I’m not sure I’d have a lot of these more extreme symptoms, but at the same time it seems a bit irrational I’d put so much thought into just feeling fear about them all the while not really caring about other dangerous things like sharks.
Nearing my 28th birthday in November and I don’t think it’s gotten any better. Recently I went through the remake of Link’s Awakening, and cartoon whales are one thing, but that and some other things had me interested in watching the 1956 version of Moby Dick, more for the character of Ahab than anything else. All the effects and cinematography were kind of hard not to find silly, but the very ending with the whale smashing and killing everything and everyone, and creating a whirlpool to sink the ship, only served to instill even more dread in me.
More modern games don’t help much. In trying to get everything in Grand Theft Auto V, exploring the seabed was as a long and excruciating slow process. While I know that the game has been pretty much data-mined and scrubbed for any kind of giant sea monsters, and finding out there’s just sharks, I was still deathly afraid I’d find myself right inside of a whales’ open mouth at some point.
Bronwyn Smith says
I have been scared of whales ever since I watched Pinocchio for the first time. I couldn’t even finish the movie because I was having a panic attack.
Joseph says
I am 10 and can’t bear to think about whales, look at whales, see, hear or look at one through the water especially.
Zara says
I hear you, Joseph.
Emily says
I honestly didn’t even know this was a thing, I thought I was weird. I’ve been afraid of whales ever since I can remember. I have a vague recollection of when I was little, seeing a picture somewhere of two men in a canoe with a humongous whale breaching the surface of the water beside them, and just the massive size difference has scarred me for life. I’m now 33 years old and still can’t even look at them.
Danielle Martinez says
I can say I have this kind of phobia. It started when I was a little, reading children’s encyclopedia with large photos of Blue whales. From that time, I was scared to look at it and my brothers used to flip those pages on my face. It was a horrible feeling. But ironically, I was able to dive with humpback whales, with my feet touching its tail. That was the best experience I ever had. At that time, I thought I’ve conquered my fear of whales. But still, the feeling with Blue whales is different. Just imagining and seeing images of it, freaks me out til this day and I’m already on my 20’s!
Danielle says
I don’t have a fear of whales exactly, just swimming with one. To me whales are very beautiful and i love it when we go the coast and see a tail (sorry people). When we went whale watching this one time we were in a very stable metal boat but i saw people on little blow up ones. I tried to imagine being in one of those with a GIGANTIC WHALE under me and freaked out. It would be so easy for it to knock over the raft and then you would be in the water with it. Just writing this gives me the creeps.
Caio da Costa says
Finding Nemo is my favorite Pixar movie. I’ve watched countless times as a kid. Then, after years of being afraid of the ocean for no apparent reason, I found this website. If it wasn’t for it I would never connect the dots.
Whales are not the animals I fear the most (that title is reserved for dogs) and I wish I could see a blue whale before I’m dead or they’re all gone. However, I can feel my heartbeat going faster just typing this hypothetical encounter.
Isabela says
I have this phobia since 8 years old or so. Where I used to live(Brazil) the Free Willy was always passing and I used to have nightmares with sharks,whales,crocodiles… Now I’m 19 years old and I’m scared of almost everything that is in the ocean. I can’t even look at pictures or videos. I can’t swim for too long or open my eyes under water because of this fear. I really tried to watch some videos because I wanted to end this but I really can’t. What you all did to surpass this phobia? Sorry for my bad english, my first language is Portuguese..
Ava says
I’m 17 and have had reoccurring nightmares about whales and open ocean since I was really young, I feel faint and become unbearingly anxious and scared when I think about or see pictures or videos of whales, which is strange considering I grew up on an island and love to swim. Even at the mention of the word “whale” I cringe and want to change the subject.
PD says
Relatable content
mungo007 says
I grew up in Sri Lanka as an English child. Sri Lanka is one of the best places in the world to go whale watching. I vividly remember looking out of my bedroom window to see the gigantic tail of a whale rising out from the water. The power of the creatures has overwhelmed me to the point that I can no longer swim in the sea.
Cameron says
I have a phobia whales too, and I am always terrified of looking next to me in the ocean and seeing a HUGE tale flipping up. This causes me to have a fear of the ocean too.
Guilherme Augusto says
Hello! I have this phobia and I think that I know where I got it.
I remember watching the film “Cast Away” and seeing a whale in it. The protagonist, Tom Hanks, builds a raft and go into the sea and comes across it.
Oscar Cordova says
Now that I think about it, this fear definitely began with Finding Nemo. It seems so silly, but fearing the largest animal to ever exist, I feel is a rational fear. I recently had a nightmare involving a kyogre emmerging from solid land, turning the land into an ocean once it arose. There have been instances where I wonder if my cetaphobia is perhaps an unconscious mirage imposed on myself to have a fear of something, so I don’t feel left out. However, several encounters with whales through media have proven this wrong. There is a theme park in Las Vegas where you sit in a moving theater and traverse through a land- it’s usually different depending on the time of the year. In one case, “we” dove underwater and I just covered my eyes until the ride was over. In another case, I was in the living room with my stepdad while he was watching some NatGeo show about whale hunters. The small rickety boat with a couple men showed traversing a stormy sea, when a gigantic blue whale tail flung up behind them. Another time, I was watching a documentary on my laptop with my niece about ancient sea creatures. I did this one for fun. I was fearing a whale pop up the whole time, however I screamed when a turtle swam up close to the screen. I had to stop watching. She still makes fun of me to this day, which I think is funny.
Jennifer-Marie says
I am too old to have my fear of whales that have started with Finding Nemo (though my then four year old daughter and six year old niece laughed hysterically at me in the movie theater when that damn thing showed up on the screen and I nearly jumped out of my skin). In my case, my older sister was obsessed with whales and saving them (as children were want to do in the 1980’s) and she was given a very large book about whales – their history, their biology, and humanity’s history with whaling. The pictures were vast, graphic, and I was six years old when I became curious enough to flip through it. The pictures taken in deep ocean of these gigantic creatures scared me like nothing ever had before, and I have not been able to look at whales, or even think about them, since without going into a full blown panic. Yes, people always laugh when hearing that I fear whales – until they see my facial expression and realize I’m not joking and it is a full blown phobia of mine. (Ranks right up there with spiders and clowns.) My husband has always joked that I am the only human being to be afraid of whales, and yes I made him read this page the moment I stumbled upon it.
Selma says
Now i know i am not the only person. This article was soooo relatable. My fear established from watching Finding Nemo. I always thought it was a weird thing but now i know i am not alone. Thank you for the great article. Just seeing the tail of the whale made me scream.
Simran says
Omg. I am suffering from this phobia since 20 years. I just don’t know how to get over it.