Watch and swim with humpback whales in the Caribbean

Planet

The background and heritage of our company is in marine conservation and research and over more than a decade have been directly funding projects which provide evidence and reason for its continued protection of species such as whale sharks and manta rays.

This experience focus is soley on the Humpback whale which resides within the Silver Bank – which is part of the larger Sanctuary for the Marine Mammals of the Dominican Republic. It is difficult and expensive to obtain a ships license to enter these waters which itself generates funds for its protection.

As a condition of these licenses being granted, all activity within the Silver Bank Protected Area must adhere to strict guidelines. These guidelines clearly define anchorage points within the sanctuary, to help protect the whales from excessive contact, and more specifically to govern the conduct of visitors when approaching the whales and when in the water with them to guard against harassment and causing any stress. Following these guidelines, we have enjoyed a variety of wonderful encounters – both above and below water – with mothers and their playful, curious calves and from a safe distance, rowdy males trying to attract the attention of females by breaching, lobbing and fin slapping.

An additional benefit of the guidelines limiting the number of visitors per week to a maximum of 54 visitors within the sanctuary at one time, so lucky guests who join these departures can expect to enjoy memorable encounters, which one of our previous guests described as ‘better than the birth of his own child’!

When we are anchored in the Silver Bank, the ship itself will remain moored in a sheltered spot for the week while we use smaller zodiacs to locate, observe and snorkel with the whales. Not only does this reduce the physical impact of the ship in these shallow waters, the zodiacs use far less fuel and cause less noise to carry underwater. We will use hydrophones to listen for the social calls between these intelligent animals. Participants have even gone to sleep on our liveaboard with a lullaby ringing through the hull sung by a male singing next to the ship!

Each participant will pay a Silver Bank Sanctuary Fee onboard. This fee is used by the Dominican Republic Government to maintain the sanctuary as a protected area and to continue their important environmental conservation and protection work. In addition to the Silver Bank voyage itself, we can offer a range of hotel and activity options with our local partners. We prefer to offer local, boutique style hotels rather than large chain hotels and work with local dive centres and activity providers.

People

This experience takes place in a marine preserve situated 100 km north of mainland Dominican Republic in Mid-Ocean. Access is restricted in order to give Humpback Whales, migrating from the Arctic, the protection they need to breed and give birth away from the threats of fishing boats and pollution. There is no local community or population living anywhere near these waters, but the marine preserve does provide income to benefit the wider economy of the Dominican Republic, more than covering the cost of maintaining this very important marine habitat.

Integral to the experience of visiting the Silver Bank Whale Sanctuary on these trips, is education about humpback whales and anthropogenic threats they face. This education helps to encourage those who participate to consider their wider impacts on the ocean and its life, including things we can all make a difference with at home: plastic recycling; opting for certified sustainably caught fish; avoidance of ghost fishing lines and nets.