Whale watching Silver Banks
A whale watching trip to the Silver Banks in the Dominican Republic is in demand. Only for a few weeks a year our liveaboard goes here instead of their safaris in Turks and Caicos.
About 70 miles from the north coast of the Dominican Republic and southeast of Turks & Caicos lies the Silver Banks. The reef was protected in 1986 and expanded in size in 1996. Scientists believe that the humpback whales chose this particular place to give birth to their calves, as the water is warm, shallow and there are only a few fish that attract predators. The site is thus the perfect nursery for the calves, before they and the females swim north.
The operator we hire is one of three licensed to snorkel with the humpback whales at Silver Banks. The rules are strict for how we should behave and it is expected that we fully respect them. Equipment diving is not allowed, the whales are disturbed in their natural behavior. We must be aware that we are the ones visiting their world, on their terms. It is an exclusive activity where 60 people/week, a total of 500 people during one season get the chance to be part of this great experience. Now you can now become one of those who join this exclusive crowd.
The water is perfect for snorkeling, clear blue and warm. The calves come to the surface to breathe about every 3 to 5 minutes. They are often curious and then swim up to you. You have to keep an eye out for the much bigger mother who can appear at any moment.
All pictures with © approval from Aggressor Liveaboard Adventures, Turks & Caicos
What is included in a liveaboard package?
- Group transfers Puerto Plata airport - boat t/r
- 7 nights in shared cabin with private bathroom on liveaboard
- 3 meals per day on board as well as water, iced tea, coffee, soda, juice, local beer and wine
- 6 days free diving including guide, mask, fins, snorkel and weights
Program
Day 1
You leave Scandinavia to board the flight to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. It may also be necessary to spend a night in a hotel on the way to Puerto Plata, depending on how the flight schedule looks like.
Day 2
You arrive in Puerto Plata where you usually check into a hotel for 1-2 nights. This is because you are going out with liveaboard and we want to secure against possible flights and baggage delays.
Day 3
You stay at the hotel in Puerto Plata and have a day on your own.
Day 4
You check out of the hotel in Puerto Plata and get a transfer to your liveaboard. Once on board, you check in and receive a safety briefing of the boat as well as other information that is interesting for the week ahead. After that, a boat journey of approximately 8 hours to Silver Bank begins.
Day 5-10
Freediving days! You freedive from liveaboard during these six days with a focus on whales.
Day 11
Time to check out from our liveaboard and get transferred back to the hotel in Puerto Plata to spend the night. Recommended to secure against possible delays with the liveaboard (cost is added in connection with flight booking). The following day you will be transferred to the airport.
Please note!
Our solid program is a plan that is modified based on the external conditions that the weather gods reward us with. This means that we can move activities to other days and, in the worst case, replace planned activities with alternatives if necessary.
