One could argue that there is no species in the ocean, let alone the world, more charismatic than whales, most notably the humpback whale. With their wing-like pectoral fins the mothers use to cuddle their calves and slap the surface, their affinity for breaching in impressive aerobatic displays, the beautiful songs they sing underwater which can be heard from up to twenty miles away, and of course, their gentle curiosity towards snorkelers all make the humpbacks one of the most iconic species on the planet.
Even though humans nearly hunted humpbacks to extinction years ago, mother humpbacks are surprisingly tolerant of snorkelers interacting with their newborn calves. Some say the mothers are trying to socialize their offspring. I tend to think it’s just an exhausted mom looking for any excuse to get a break from her rambunctious offspring. Whatever the reason, having a whale calf the size of a minibus playfully amble towards you—looking about as confident with its long pectoral fins as a baby giraffe does with its stilt-like legs—will give you goosebumps of joy. What’s truly profound about the whole encounter, though, is that Mom is calmly watching from below, allowing this interaction to happen. Every so often, her gentle song cuts through the water, reverberating through your body like some sort of Gregorian chant. When playtime is over, mom slowly rises to the surface–dwarfing her playful puppy dog of a baby, and then escorts it back into the blue. Having had this experience, at least for me, no reef, fish, turtle, or ray encounter will ever compare with the experience of having one of the largest living sentient beings trust you with its newborn offspring. It is truly a life-changing encounter!
The reason I bring this up is, we just so happened to be running trips to the Dominican Republic! Off the north coast of the Dominican Republic is an area known as the Silver Bank, which happens to be one of the largest congregation spots for mother humpback whales, their calves, and the occasional male escort! It’s also one of the few places in the world where you can swim with these majestic mammals. We’ve chartered a liveaboard that specializes in whale snorkeling expeditions. For the duration of this tour, we plan to spend not just a few hours snorkleing alongside these gentle giants, but days. With the amount of time we intend to spend with the whales, we’ll really get to acquaint ourselves with the whales, thereby making each and every encounter more and more special.
I’m ecstatic to be leading these tours, as the one humpback encounter I had a couple of years ago was easily one of the best moments in my life, and I can not wait to share more similar encounters with you all! This is truly a trip of a lifetime, and I wouldn’t want anyone to miss out on what could possibly be one of the most profound encounters you’ll ever have.
