In Search of the Humpback Whale

Come out, come out, wherever you are!

I know I'm only here for work, to scout out if this is a good whale watching spot for the company, but I have always wanted to see whales, any kind of whale, up close. I was up at dawn to a beautiful sunrise, it looked like the beginning of a promising morning....

I made arrangements the previous day for a motoconcho to take me from my cliff side lodge to a small dock in the village of Los Cacaos. Motoconchos, or motorbikes, are a popular mode of transportation here. Other than the privately owned vans, called gua guas, that drive the bumpy dirt road picking up people standing along the way, there is no other public transportation. Roberto, my chauffeur, was right on time.

Look closely at the horizon in the picture above... That cruise ship looks bigger than the hills on the other side of the bay! An ominous sight.

Once at the small dock, I met a boat captain, Milagrito, a large, intimidating, intense looking man, and made a deal to go out with him on his boat. (Turns out he's a kind, most considerate, gentle giant too.)

I was told

there would

only be

three other

people going

out in his

small boat,

but as

more hopeful

whale watchers

arrived, soon

the 14 capacity

boat was at

full capacity.

Look at the

picture of

Milagrito

again...

would you complain? We all paid for our government required tickets for entry into the whale sanctuary area, were given life jackets that were mainly for show since they had no functioning closure, and we were off..

Wow, I could hardly wait. The open water, wind in my hair, camera at the ready...I could hardly suppress my excitement. And then we stopped at Cayo Levantado. It's a very, very ,very, small island that gained popularity years ago by the Bacardi rum commercials.




For years it was an uninhabited island, but now a big hotel is there, (taking up much of the island), and day trippers from the cruise ships come here literally by the thousands....for that deserted island experience don't ya know.(!) There were so many people on that tee tiny island I'm surprised it didn't sink into the bay. Since I'm in the travel industry it may seem odd for me to admit this but, the tourist always destroys what he is looking for...by finding it. This has never been more evident to me than when I saw the beach at Cayo Levantado.

Not even room on that beach for an empty speedo.

Samana bay has been called "the biggest singles bar for the Humpback whales in the world". They come here every year to mate and the males vie for the females' attention by serenading them, (their songs are the longest and most complex in the animal kingdom) and in general just showing off and strutting their stuff. Weighing in at about 40-60 tons (80, 000-120,000 pounds!), and ranging in length from 40-50 feet (about the size of a school bus!), when two males compete for the same female they can become aggressive, slamming into each other and slapping the virtual kelp out of each other with their large pectoral fins and tail flukes. Gee, I was thinking, I hope they're feeling frisky today!

There are lots of strict rules and regulations that must be adhered to or the boat captains will lose their licenses. http://www.whalesamana.com/ lists them all. (click on regulations) The diagram above gives you an example of the distance the boat must keep from a mother and her calf.

When we get pretty close to the sanctuary grounds the engine is put in neutral and we sit and wait, frantically scanning the sea for a whale spout. Each boat is only allowed to stay out near the whales for thirty minutes. Milagrito spots one in the distance. "Attencion! Una familia!!" and we race off in hot pursuit. When the engine was idled again because we were so close to the whales, all thirteen of the other passengers stood up AT THE SAME TIME and leaned over the right side of the boat, clicking away with their cameras. I was, as my luck would have it, or maybe not, on the left side of the boat and feeling the boat tip dangerously to the right, I pushed all my weight to port. I glanced at Milagrito and he was doing the same! The whales move quickly away, but we spot more in another area and speed off again to get a closer look. We stop again. "Ballenas Alla!!" comes the shout and again to the right all the passengers jump up. Throwing caution over the proverbial side of the boat, now I'm out of my seat too. (Heck, I've got this handy dandy life preserver and I'm a fair swimmer.)

This is what I saw first...two spouting blowholes!

(Whales are the only mammals who must consciously breathe, meaning they have to actively choose when to take every breath of their lives.)

I snapped this picture of a fluke....
And then they were gone.

(Their flukes, tails,

are like human

fingerprints and

no two are

alike.)

Adios, Ballenas! For now...

"Vamanos!" Our time was up. But I'll be back. As soon as we get to shore, I'm taking the next boat out again....

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