WHALES Dominican Republic
Whale Watching in Samaná Bay
If you’re in Samaná between mid-January and mid-March, be sure not to miss the unique opportunity to take a whale watching excursion. For centuries, hundreds of Humpback Whales from the North Atlantic make an annual trip to the warm waters of Samaná Bay for their mating and calving season.
During the peak season, there are usually about a hundred whales in the bay at any given time. Visitors can arrange a whale watching trip through Kim Beddall of Victoria Marine Tours, which offers two departures daily from both Samaná and nearby Cayo Levantado, from January 15th to March 15th. The trip lasts three to four hours, offers a 99% sighting rate and costs some $35 per person. Advance reservations are recommended.
Thousands of incredible Humpback whales of the North Atlantic population, return to the waters surrounding the Dominican Republic , the winter home of nearly a third of the Atlantic Ocean's humpback whale population.
Famous for 'singing' to attract mates or to challenge other would-be suitors the songs of the Humpback whale can last up to 20 minutes and can be heard for more than 20 miles away. The male may repeat the same song dozens of times over several hours and research shows that whales in the same geographic area sing in similar "dialects."
Marine guides will narrate your boat excursion, explaining mating and breeding information about the whales and their behavior. Witnessing these magnificent creatures, the most active of all whales, is definitely an experience of a lifetime.