Greetings from the Sanctuary for the Marine Mammals of the Dominican Republic,
(Of which the Silver Bank is but a part…)
Welcome to our Cruise Report for week four of our 2026 humpback whale season, Feb. 14-20.
The season so far has been quite a mix of weather and whales, with one being kinder to us than the other. This week was no exception. (As usual, click images for larger view)
Our trip out Saturday night from the Ocean World Marina was a little bumpy with seas a bit higher than average, over six feet. Fortunately the M/V Sea Hunter is a very heavy vessel, deep and wide. She’s been described as “a tank” and “a beast” – both compliments in my mind – so there was never a concern about our safety but a good night’s sleep was a little hard to come by nonetheless. The crossing out may not always be our favorite part of the experience but once we are on our mooring behind the reef Sea Hunter never fails to accommodate us in great comfort.
But our trip did not go unrewarded because, almost as soon as we were hooked up to our mooring, we were mugged by a mother and calf who swam right up to the dive platform to check us all out. The whales spent more than five minutes circling the boat, paying special attention to everyone yelling with excitement at the back. What a welcome!
Out with the whales, some days the treasures we find are small gems to cherish. We found a couple of those gems on Monday.
To start, we found two adult whales resting out on the Bank, a fairly typical scenario. Most times that means a female and her escort male, submerged in the water column, usually still and relaxed for an average of twenty minutes at a stretch. But the escort this time had a different idea. While our swimmers floated above, he slowly and continuously prowled around the female, tightly twisting and turning, circling her or passing just below her, staying remarkably close throughout.
The average adult humpback whale out here is around 35’-40’ long but this big guy never seemed to be more than two body lengths away. He used his massive pectoral fins to help him twirl and maneuver around, staying ever so close. Humpbacks are the most maneuverable of the great whales and can turn 180 degrees in their own body length, which is what dolphins can do. Seeing him from above was like watching a game of humpback Twister, or like watching a giant eel squirm in a giant big bucket. The guy seemed like he was tying himself in knots, simultaneously moving around while staying as close to the female as possible. It only lasted about five minutes but what an unusual and impressive display of dexterity on a tremendous scale; definitely not something we see every day, or week!
Later in the afternoon one of our whaleboats tracked a group of rowdy males competing over a female. We’ve seen a lot of rowdies this season and they are always exciting to watch as they jostle and lunge and joust for position. But what made this very late-afternoon group especially memorable is that one of the combatants withdrew from the fight, turned away and just stopped – but then immediately started singing right next to our boat! This transition of behavior is something we’ve seen before but it is unusual and so a special treat that allowed all our guests to have a short but sweet (and very loud) serenade before calling it a great day.
As exciting as Monday was, Tuesday was even better. In the morning one of our whaleboats sighted a mother, calf and escort and tracked them at a distance for a while when they slowed to a stop, just as we were thinking about heading back for lunch. Instead, we decided to give a quick swim a try. And to our delight, the three whales turned toward us, stopped, and rested beside and below us right through our lunch break. Sometimes they’d be down and the calf would surface toward us, other times mom would be in front of us floating like a log at the surface, calf close by. And sometimes it would be the escort who’d come passing by, giving us a really good looking over. It seemed like we were just part of their scenery and they were enjoying the view. It redefined the meaning of whale-watching. It was one of the highlights of the week. (See more photos at bottom)
The other great highlight happened later in
the week with another mother and calf. This baby was a big boy, maybe two months old, big enough to have a shadow of a barnacle beard on his chin. Mom was very sleepy but he was full of energy and curiosity and not at all shy. He enjoyed swimming right up to our lineup, or around it, twisty and cavorting and swishing around. Momma’s been feeding him well! If he keeps going on like that it will soon be time to make the migration – he sure seemed healthy enough to make the trip.
I wish I had some photos of these two to share with you but I was feeling a bit under the weather the night before and had serviced my cameras. But as I sat on the rail of the boat the following day, standing by to get in the water with the whales, I turned on my underwater camera and was greeted by a message: “no card in camera”! Oooops! I’d downloaded photos but had forgotten to reinstall the flash cards. So my camera sat out for one of the most exciting interactions of the season so far… It happens!
But I learned my lesson (again) and don’t think I will make that mistake again any time soon – I hope. Tune in next week to see how it goes…
Until then, I wish you whale!
Capt. Gene