Whales are my absolute favorite animals next to the deers. Since my childhood I have wished to get the possibility to observe whales one day. My father (thank you, Daddy!) had to tell me the story of Jona and the whale 100 times and more, I could never get enough of it. I was fascinated that these giants of the oceans are so huge, but peaceful.
This weekend I drove from Santiago to Samaná, where humpback whales meet from January to March to mate or calve.
Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick, also wrote: "..the most lighthearted and gamesome of all the whales". And he was right!
I was very excited. Our boat was incredibly lucky: first we spotted young male whales (the males are smaller than their female counterparts) and later we could observe a group of four whales for over an hour: a mother with her four-week-old calf, which mostly lay on her back or for which she divided the water so that the little one could swim more easily.
It was very touching. The two were accompanied by a whale man who was disturbed by the challenger, another male whale who wanted to take the position of the companion. At some point the challenger gave up and the group swam playfully around our boat.
I have never seen anything so impressive and delightful about nature.
Whale watching in the Dominican Republic is done very carefully, the boats have to keep distance and never more than three boats can be near a whale.
These rules are constantly adapted in favour of the animals.
My tip for all who also want to observe whales in the bay of Samaná:
Book the trip with Kim Beddall, whale researcher. The specialist herself is on board and stands for sustainable and professional whale watching.
www.whalesamana.com
No whales over here, but also happy on the other side of the world!
We miss you!
Greetings from your Editorial Office Team!