March 16, 2024
3,000 whales migrate from the cold waters of the north to mate in the warm waters of Samaná Photo Credit @irusik_dominicana

WHALE WATCHING SEASON STARTS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 

 
Nature Lovers Flock to  Samaná to See the Humpback Whales
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: Jan. 2022:  The Ministry of Environment in the Dominican Republic announced the start of the whale-watching season in the northeastern province of Samaná. The excursion to watch the acrobatics of the humpback whales is one of the leading attractions in Samaná and drives thousands of tourists to the northeastern peninsula. The excursions also take tourists to the protected area of the Banco de la Plata, off the northern coasts of Puerto Plata. The protected areas seek to safeguard human life and ensure the conservation and protection of the sanctuaries and the whale species.  The marine mammal observation season, which has been baptized this year as: “A dance that perpetuates the species”, will be from Saturday, 15 January until Thursday, 31 March 202 for Samaná Bay and until Friday, 15 April for the Banco de la Plata in Puerto Plata.
Whale watching tours in Samana are popular with nature lovers Photo Credit Viator

Like last year, the Ministry of Environment has arranged for the observation season to be carried out under a strict sanitary protocol to avoid the spread of Covid-19 and its variants.

The interinstitutional Marine Mammal Observation Management Agreement 2022 was signed in time for the whale-watching season. Environment Minister Orlando Jorge Mera; the Ministry of Tourism; the vice admiral of the Navy, Ramón Gustavo Betances; the mayor of Santa Bárbara de Samaná, Nelson Antonio Núñez signed.

Samana invites with uncrowded beaches year round and plays host to thousands of humpback whales during mating season in the winter Photo Credit Rotas Turisticas

Others signing were Patricia Lamelas, executive director of the Center for the Conservation and Ecodevelopment of the Bay of Samaná and its Environment (CEBSE); Felicita Heredia, vice-president of the Dominican Foundation for Marine Studies (Fundemar); Augusto González, president of the Association of Boat Owners of the Bay of Samaná (ASDUBAHISA); Oswaldo Emiddio Vásquez Ravelo, president of Asesoría Ambiental y Tecnología Marítima (ATEMAR, S. A.); Lorenzo Antonio Martínez Esquea, representative of the Boat Owners at the Banco de la Plata.   With this agreement, the Management Committee of the Marine Mammal Sanctuary Bancos de La Plata and La Navidad and Samaná is formed for an observation season where sustainable management instruments are used to guarantee the physical integrity of the whales and the visitors. Read more in Spanish:  Ministry of Environment

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