They Are Eager to Meet You!

You are invited to join me and a group of my friends on next year’s humpback whale trip. The trip dates are Feb 20 – Feb 27, 2016, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to share this amazing adventure with you!

Where We Are Going

We’ll be traveling to the Dominican Republic to embark upon our adventure from Ocean World Marina in Puerto Plata. Our home for the week will be a spacious 124ft vessel that can accommodate 20 passengers and 10 crew members.

We’ll set sail at midnight to arrive at our private mooring on the Silver Bank on Sunday morning. The Silver Bank is a shallow underwater plateau located 85 miles northeast of the Dominican Republic. Every year, the Northern Atlantic pod of humpback whales migrate here to mate and give birth.

Whales in our Backyard

From our home on 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. We’ll enjoy many different kinds of whale behaviors, and each day will have its own energy & rhythm allowing us the ultimate opportunity to live in the flow.

There are going to be quiet times on the boat spent scouting and lively times when we are up close and personal with the whales. We may experience any of the following behaviors: sleepy moms and calves resting peacefully near the surface, frisky adult males chasing an alluring female, hopeful singers serenading prospective partners, and enamored lovers performing a pre-mating dance.

During our many outings we are likely to see persistent 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 allow us to be very close 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 moorings, so we are surrounded by whales and whale energy all week. This year three adult whales swim right underneath me while I was snorkeling during our lunch break nearby the mooring. You will learn very quickly to keep your eyes open at all times!

During the week I will be offering whale-energy infused guided meditations and life-enhancement counseling. Energy-clearing sessions can be scheduled by request for an additional charge.

A Typical Day Among the Whales

My favorite early morning practice while on the ship 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 observing misty clouds of whale spouts and watch their tails slip silently beneath the surface as I pay tribute to the Sun and the Four Directions. The serene surroundings and the magnificent whales fill my heart 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. I bring a lightweight sleeping bag to spend at least one night under the starlit sky, which you are more than welcome to do.

After nearly a week on the Silver Bank, we’ll motor back to Puerto Plata mid-morning to arrive at the marina early Friday evening. We’ll go to dinner in the Marina, and we can stay on the boat until Sat morning (2/27/16). Most people 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 25 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 operations. 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, the rooms are spacious, and the meals 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 and a twin, 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 our travel dates approach.

I would be very excited if you decide to join us for this adventure, it’s going to be awesome! I am deliberately asking very special, peaceful, energetically attuned people to attend this trip as our collective consciousness makes a positive difference with regard to the quality of our whale encounters.

Namaste, Susan

Summary:
Date: Feb 20 – Feb 27, 2016
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 of the Silver Bank!