So apparently those same whales i´ve been trying to see off the coast of New England since 1997 also hang out down here in the DR. The Bay of Samaná is the breeding ground for all of the humpback whales of the N.Atlantic, i learned this week. They mate and birth here in the winter, then travel up the coast for feeding in the late summer and fall. No offense to New England but i think that seeing whales in the ´winter´ climate of the DR is much cooler (well, warmer) than being out on a boat on a brisk Fall day in the vineyard. But i digress...
I was so excited to do this trip, and it was great! We saw 5 different whales during the 3 hours or so we were out in the Bay (including a mom and a 2week old calf). We saw the full range of whale tricks including the tail flip, the standing up straight in the water and full 360s. There was also a school of dolphin hanging out with us and the whales that day - a phenomenon that the guide said was very unusual. You know how dolphins are always showing off - so we saw a few acrobatics from them as well. I was fascinated by how close the whales were to the boat at times - a stone´s throw away; a go-go-gadget arm away! For safety of the animals, the boats have to stay a certain distance away, which the captain tried to do. But the whales were too curious to stay away, and basically followed the boat. I commented to the guy next to me that the dolphins and whales were people watching. He didnt laugh (i told myself that was because he wasnt speaking english).
I´m at an internet cafe here in Las Galeras, and probably leaving today. I say probably cause today is the first day of good sun since i´ve been here, and i stayed up here after the whale watching specifically for some beach time. Either way, I left my USB connector for my camera so i cant load up my photos today, but i´ll get them up as soon as i can. I have a video too, and i´ll see if i can get that up.
later!
