Samaná
Whale Watching Tour
Watch the 1,500 to 2,000 whales that migrate to the waters of the Samaná Bay on a guided boat tour or from the land at the observatory in Punta Balandra. The official whale-watching season runs from mid-January to March, but tours are available as long as whales are in the bay.
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Whale Watching
If you're in the Dominican Republic between January 15 - March 25, try to make the trek north to see the whales in Samaná. After all, they've come some 3000 miles to see you.
Samaná is the perfect place to watch the North Atlantic Humpback Whales who overwinter in the warm marine sanctuary of Samaná Bay before they begin their long migration to their summer grounds - as far away as Greenland and Iceland!
Migration route
Once they leave the northern waters of Iceland and Greenland at the approach of winter, they follow the current of the Caribbean Sea from Puerto Rico to Punta Cana on the easternmost tip of the Dominican Republic, then to Samaná Bay, the Bahamas and up to the Gulf of Mexico. Finally, they make the trip back north to fatten up in the cold waters that are full of krill, their primary food.
Marine Sanctuary
The whale nursery in Samaná Bay is heavily protected. Only whale-watching boats are allowed to enter the bay, and even these are heavily restricted. Every spring, the interior of the bay essentially becomes a mothers' ward, for delivering calves and nursing. Male whales hang out towards the outer part of the bay.
With a little patience and luck, you’ll see humpback whales leap out of the water in an incredible display of acrobatic grace. Scientists say they do this not just for fun, but to alert other whales to a good feeding ground, or as part of courting rituals. Sometimes, it's their way of getting rid of sunburnt skin after their long trip south.
Apart from seeing moms swimming around with their newborn calves, you'll also hear the males' courting songs. Your guide will use a hydrophone so you can listen in, but don't neglect to keep your eyes peeled for surface activity!
Some of the most exciting surface activity you’ll see happens when up to twenty male whales compete for mating rights with a female. The drama includes blowing water, head lunging, slamming each other, and breaching.
Breaching is when a whale launches into the air then crashes back down onto the water's surface. It's not too hard for the whale to achieve, but the sight is certainly impressive to humans, and presumably to other whales as well. Breaching is a common courting ritual (but not all breaching is part of courting - whales breach for plenty of reasons).
Some of the other movements to watch for are “flippering” - raising the flippers and flapping them against the water's surface, sort of a lesser breach. You'll also see them rolling in the water in a horizontal posture.