They Look Forward to Meeting You!

You are invited to join us for the 2018 humpback whale season on the Silver Bank. There are still a few spaces available for the first week in April and I am delighted to have the opportunity to share this amazing adventure with you!

Our Destination

Your adventure will begin in Puerto Plata where we will embark from the Ocean World Marina. Our home for the week will be a comfortable and spacious 124ft vessel that accommodates 20 passengers and 10 crew members. We’ll set sail at midnight on Saturday for our private mooring located 85 miles northeast of the Dominican Republic on the Silver Bank. Every year, the Northern Atlantic pod of humpback whales migrate to this shallow underwater plateau to mate and give birth.

Whales in our Backyard

From our home aboard the ship our backyard literally opens to a sea of whales. Each day we’ll board a small skiff for morning and afternoon excursions to connect with our cetacean friends. We will experience plenty of up-close surface encounters and when the whales are cooperative we’ll slip into the water to interact with them as they permit.

Every day and every outing is unique, allowing us to observe many different kinds of humpback whale activities and behaviors. The fact that each day has its own energy and rhythm gives us the ultimate opportunity to live in the flow.

There are going to be quiet times on the boat spent scouting as well as lively times when we are up close and personal with the whales.

We may experience any or all of the following behaviors: peaceful moms and calves sleepily resting near the surface, frisky adult males chasing an alluring female, hopeful singers serenading prospective partners, and enamored lovers performing a pre-mating underwater ballet. We are likely to see pectoral-fin slapping whales, athletic breachers, rambunctious tail lobbers, curious spy hoppers, and other entertaining whale specialities.

Eye To Eye, Heart to Heart

The daily excursions on the skiff place us in very close proximity to the whales both in and out of the water and the encounters are incredible. I guarantee that floating eye-to-eye with a humpback whale will change your life forever.

In addition to seeing whales on our daily outings on the skiffs you’ll find that they congregate near the large vessels on the three permanent moorings. We will be surrounded by humpback whales and their amazing energy all week. Often times we have whales swim right underneath our main vessel.

Sometimes snorkelers will see humpbacks when they are practicing their water-skills nearby the mooring. You will learn very quickly to keep your eyes open at all times!

Upon request I will be offering whale-energy infused guided meditations and life-enhancement counseling during the week at sea. Private energy-clearing sessions can be scheduled for an additional charge.

A Typical Day Among the Whales

My favorite early morning practice is to do yoga and meditation on the top deck with the rising sun. It’s a bit tricky to find one’s balance with the gentle rocking of the boat yet this just adds to the magic of the movement.

I greet the day by paying tribute to the Sun and the Four Directions while observing misty clouds of whale spouts and watching their tails slip silently beneath the surface. The serene surroundings and the magnificent whales fill my heart with gratitude. I look forward to sharing this daily ritual with anyone who would like to participate.

Sunsets and Starry Skies

After a full day of excursions aboard the skiffs, the early evenings are spent on the top two decks of the main vessel. Guests sip cocktails and watch whales breach as the sun sets over the open ocean. When conditions are right we can see the ‘green flash’ along the horizon line when the sun sinks out of sight. Sometimes I choose to swim around the boat during this time… during one dusk swim I was joined by a pod of dolphins, so you never know what’s going to happen!

After dinner we have the opportunity to stargaze and when the skies are clear it’s absolutely breath-taking as thousands of sparkling diamonds litter the night sky. If whales are nearby we will hear them breathing as they slumber near the surface. You are welcome to bring a lightweight sleeping bag to spend at least one night sleeping on the upper deck under the starlit sky.

After our adventures on the Silver Bank, we’ll motor back to Puerto Plata mid-morning on Friday to arrive at the marina in the late afternoon. You have the option to join us for dinner at a wonderful restaurant nearby the marina and can stay on the boat until Sat morning. Most guests choose to fly out later that day.

Traveling with the Best

This is an all-inclusive live-aboard operation and the whale-boat tenders are the best in the business. Our operator, Tom Conlin, started the practice of placing swimmers in the water with these magnanimous whales 27 years ago. He and his team have an intimate relationship with the whales, having witnessed the birth and growth cycles of several generations of humpbacks. He coined the term ‘soft-water encounters’ and wrote the legal guidelines for all in-water activities with the whales of the Silver Bank.

I have been traveling to the Silver Bank since 1998, and have had opportunity to travel with each of the charter operators. I can honestly report that the AA Team consistently offers the highest-quality encounters on the Silver Bank. Working with the whales is an art form and successful whale connections require that the guides have both experience and a certain ‘feel’ for the whales. Our team has all the right ingredients to do their job and our group will have the right energy to attract the whales. It’s going to be an amazing week!

Comfort & Logistics

The accommodations on our ship are lovely and the rooms are spacious. Our meals are served buffet style and are hearty and delicious. There are two prices for the trip depending on your choice of cabin. The rooms on the main deck have a Queen bed or two twin beds, while on the lower deck the rooms have two twin bunk beds. Please contact me directly for pricing and to reserve your space on board.

Those are the basics on the trip and I’d be happy to answer any of your questions as the travel dates approach. I will be very excited if you decide to join us for this adventure. I deliberately invite very special, peaceful, energetically attuned people to attend this trip as our collective consciousness makes a positive impact upon the quality of our whale encounters.

Namaste, Susan

Summary:
Date: March 30 – April 7, 2018
Location: Silver Bank, Dominican Republic
Cost: contact me for details
Deposit to reserve a space: $1000/pp

In the meantime, I send you love, light, laughter, and happiness on behalf of the whales!