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Dominican Republic Whale Watching

Dominican Republic Whale Watching is one of the most interesting activities to do when going on vacation. The prime spot for whale watching in the Dominican Republic is the province of Samana located in the northeast coast.

More than a thousand humpback whales travel to thie Samana area in order to mate and give birth to their offspring. 

In the mating ritual, the male spring out of the water to get the female attraction, if it doesn’t work the male will start making a sound that can be heard in a radius of 30 kilometers that only the female can hear. After the baby whales are born they return to the northern waters once more. In the Samana area you can find several spots that are very popular among the whales.

One of them is the Samana bay where you can be sure to find more than 200 whales at any time during the mating season. Another very popular area where you can easily observe these amazing whales is the Silver Bank. The humpback whales normally habit the colder waters in the northern Atlantic where they have plenty of fish to eat.

The best time of the year for Dominican Republic whale watching begins from the 2nd week of January to the 2nd week of March.

Excursions to Whale Watch

The excursions to the Samana Bay are quite common in the Dominican Republic. Almost all major touristic spots in the country offer trips to observe and enjoy these wonderful creatures of nature. A great deal of the excursions to the Samana bay originates from the major touristic destination of Punta Cana. Even though Samana is not exactly in Punta Cana, you can still get a tour from there to Samana bay. You can book your Dominican Republic whale watching trip at your hotel or reserve it prior traveling. Most of the excursions leave during the early hours in the morning so be prepared.

You can also travel on your own to Samana and skip the tour if you desire to do so. The alternatives include taking a flight, renting a car or taking a bus. Flights to Samana can be taken at any airport including the Punta Cana international airport. Sadly it can be a bit expensive traveling this way.

If you want to drive to experience the Dominican Republic whale watching; be aware that it can take around 3 hours if you are taking a trip from Punta Cana to Samana. The trip from Santo Domingo to Samana can take 2 hours by taking the new road or 4 hours if you take the old one. Driving from Puerto Plata can take up to 4 hours as well. Bus traveling is one of the best choices because of its low price and safety. You don’t have to worry about getting lost in the road and you don’t need to pay extreme fees.

Once there choosing the right boat is essential. You can generally pick a normal fishing boat with one engine or a better equipped bigger vessel. The larger boats are a better choice for several reasons. The main one is safety. The waters close to the area where the whales can be found are very rough during winter so is not very advisable to get near that area with a small boat. 

Dominican Republic Whale Watching Rules

There are certain rules that must be followed at all times if you are whale watching. Boats cannot be close to whales for more than half an hour. No visitors are allowed to swim close to the whales. The closest any boat can be to the whales is approximately 50 meters. 

Preserving Whale Watching

The number of Humpback whales has decreased a lot during years. It has been protected since 1966. The total population of humpback whales is very close to 35,000 to 40,000 which is like 30% of its original number. It can take several years for the whales' population to recover almost completely. The Dominican Government has written and enforced several laws to ensure the safety of the whales in order for them to procreate.

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