WISDOM: "If you ever come face to face with a humpback whale, whose diet is plankton and krill, it is helpful to remember that the whale will probably not confuse you with either."
–Allison
SOUL TRAVEL: A WHALE OF A TAIL
The Dominican Republic would not ordinarily be a destination of my choice, but it is here that one of the great animal encounters in the world is available. Eighty miles off the shore of the Dominican Republic is an area in the Atlantic Ocean called Silver Bank. This was designated as a whale sanctuary in 1986. Every year from January through March humpback whales congregate here to mate and give birth. It is the largest congregation of humpback whales in the world and one of the few places where you are allowed to interact with whales, on their terms, in the water.
For fifteen years Tom Conlin of Aquatic Adventures has been working with whales and spearheading international guidelines for their protection. He has a vast collection of underwater photographs and videos of whales and has been involved with the making of IMAX presentations and National Geographic specials. His knowledge, love, and respect for whales greatly enhance the unique opportunity he offers his guests on the Nekton Rorqual, a well-outfitted live-aboard dive boat, to snorkel with the whales. Certain guidelines prevail. Guests must stay on the water's surface, remain as quiet as possible in the water, not reach out to touch a whale, and are strictly forbidden to swim after a whale. If the whale wishes to interact with you, it will to stay around, and may, in fact, come to you.
When I told a client I was going to swim with the whales, he was seriously concerned that I would get "bitten" and, jokingly (I think) turned to his wife and said, "We are probably going to have to find another mediator." He need not have worried. Although there are whales with teeth, Humpback whales are not so equipped. They feed by opening their very large mouths, scooping up tons of plankton, small fish, and krill, and expelling the sea water through their baleen. Baleen (once called whalebone and used in corsets) is a curtain in their mouths made up of thin strands of material similar to the material in our finger nails. These whales can go for four months without food and, at this particular time of year, when they are interested in mating and having babies, they are not actively feeding. Nonetheless, a whale swimming directly towards you in the water is a heart-stopping event. Logic often deserts you in such circumstances as it certainly appears as though you could fit into their mouths quite comfortably.
My first entry into the water in the middle of the ocean with mask, snokel, fins, and lightweight wetsuit was a bit dicey. Fortunately, the water was calm and the underwater visibility was excellent. Although I am a certified scuba diver, it has been a long time since I have been diving, or snorkeling for that matter, and I am not entirely comfortable in the ocean. Sliding over the side of the tender in a seal-like fashion, I rose to the surface, cleared my snorkel, and, while trying to get oriented, looked down. About twenty feet directly below me was about 50 tons of whale resting in the water. This was the "escort"-the male whale that, in the world of humpback whale behavior, typically accompanies the female and baby. My heart started pounding. All I could think about was, "he is going to want to come to the surface and I am in his way." Just try backpedaling with fins on! Had I been on land, my knowledge that the whale would sense my presence and not run into me would have prevailed. Trying to remember that at this moment, however, was futile. I started breathing very hard (I believe this is called hyperventilating) and, although I remained in the water until the whales left us, I got back into the boat totally exhausted, wishing simultaneously that I was at least ten to fifteen years younger. In the afternoon, I went in again and, now a veteran, was calm and relaxed. There was more excitement on board when we found a message in a bottle that had been floating around for a few years. About all that was left on the note was a date and "New Jersey."
The second day was as spectacular as the first. Whales were everywhere. The humpback whales' stark white pectoral fins and underside of their flukes are easy to spot in the water. Whales were swimming under the boat, tail lobbing, and breaching very close to us. At one point, we became vaguely aware of a soft, high-pitched cry. It would had escaped me had Tom not exclaimed, "We have a singer. Everyone into the water as quietly as possible." Over we went. What a thrill to be in the water listening to the whale's low-to-high pitched melodic song amplified by the water and our close proximity to him. You could actually feel the vibrations from the sound waves. Humpback whales have the most complex and harmonic song of any whale, and it is usually the males who sing.
This was our boat's special treat, but the other tender also had an unusual encounter. They found two "dancing" whales. We watched the video that evening of a beautiful ballet between a male and female whale. Tom was hoping he was going to see them mate, something that has yet to be witnessed. The beauty and grace of these mammoth creatures holding themselves perpendicular in the water and undulating in a kind of rhythm with each other was amazing.
I was constantly torn between going into the water and staying topside so I could photograph the whales. I did not have underwater camera equipment and I did not want to put my camera down. I kept thinking I had three more days so I had plenty of time. This was a mistake. The guides kept telling us how fabulous those first two days were and I naively counted on it continuing.
|
The third day the water was rough; the whales were difficult to spot, and, for the most part, on the move. No one went into the water. The fourth day was even rougher and we did not go out at all. The fifth, and last day, the water was only slightly subdued. Had we not gone out, Tom probably would have had a mutiny on his hands. Although we had some good encounters, the visibility in the water was drastically reduced due to the upheaval in the ocean, and there was not nearly the profusion of whales. I was not happy in the water with three to four foot rollers. After trying it once, I remained in the boat.
One of several photo ops I missed was a totally unexpected breach of a baby whale right in the middle of four snorkelers who had formed a small circle in the water. The whale was so close that its fin hit one of them. All four snorkelers came back on board a little shaken. I imagine the baby whale, whose "radar" isn't quite as reliable as that of an adult whale, may have been a bit shaken as well.
In a way, I felt I had squandered some of my opportunity to be in the water with the whales those first two days, but I can hardly complain. The experience in or out of the water was still breathtaking and very intense. I would not hesitate to do it again.
As for the Dominican Republic—it is a country of mega-resorts that attracts about one million visitors a year. The reason escapes me. I have never seen so many shops loaded with tourist junk (would you really want a purse made out of a coconut shell?) or so many awful paintings. The people, however, are very hospitable and the streets felt safe. But there are many other places as lush or more so that have far more beautiful beaches and more charm than the Dominican Republic—Hawaii, for one, and probably other Caribbean destinations as well. Perhaps it is the ease of access and great package deals that account for all the tourists. On the other hand, if you are a windsurfer, the guidebook says Cabarete has one of the best wind and kite surfing beaches in the world. On Easter Sunday we hired a taxi and explored some of the beaches. The bay at Cabarete was indeed filled with many colorful sails and kites skimming along at a nice pace propelled by a perfect breeze. Being Easter, we thought we would see some special religious activity, but, instead, it seems to be party time. The scene is much like that of college students at spring break. Rum flows freely and merengue music comes at you incessantly at full volume. Rum and merengue are inseparable and probably one needs both in order to fully enjoy either.
No tourists we met seemed to have any inkling that the whales were nearby and none of the tour companies we saw on the island promoted whale watching. This is not surprising. Only four operators have licenses to go to the Silver Bank whales and it really requires a live-abroad situation. Nor is partying compatible with such "in your face" whale watching. By the end of the day, everyone is too exhausted to even consider it. For me, the experience of having played with the whales hits the top of the charts. If you are interested, check out the following websites: www.cheesemans.com or www.aquaticadventures.com
Photos: Look closely at the photo with the breach on the left side. You will see snorkelers on the lower right. This will give you an idea how very close we were to the whales. The only other photo that may need explaining is my "arty" photo which is a montage of a table setting at the hotel where I stayed with a photo of the sun dancing on the water and turning it golden.
BRAGGING RIGHTS
You may recall that I wrote about my African adventures after having gone on safaris to Zambia and South Africa with David Anderson Safaris. The price for photographers was discounted if you agreed to submit a certain number of photographs for possible selection for his book, "On Safari." The book (560pages) is now available and it is just gorgeous. It retails for $75.00 and provides a visual feast of life on safari along with exciting text. For anyone who is intrigued by Africa, it is a must have. Nineteen of my photographs were selected, which is such a thrill for me. So I am now a published photographer. That will probably be the end of it, but, for now, I am going to enjoy some bragging rights. The book can be previewed at www.onsafari.info. If you are interested, let me know. Perhaps I can still purchase a book at our discounted price of $45.00. I will be glad to make the inquiry.
THOUGHT FOR THE SEASON: Spring has sprung. Our desert weather is sublime and, due to all the extraordinary rainfall, it looks like Ireland. Hope you are renewed as well and enjoying this special time of year.
NEXT MUSELETTER - Namaqualand, South Africa: A Special Teacher in a Special Land
========= =========
I WANT TO THANK THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO LET ME KNOW HOW MUCH YOU ARE ENJOYING MY MUSELETTER AND ARE PASSING IT ON TO OTHERS YOU THINK MIGHT ENJOY IT. IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO HEAR FROM YOU. YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED!
WEBSITE AND PHOTO GALLERY WWW.DANCEWITHEAGLES.COM
EMAIL: allison@dancewitheagles.com
Feel free to forward this on to anyone you believe might enjoy it and encourage them to subscribe for themselves. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Although this material is subject to copyright, you may reprint this publication in whole or in part or use it in any way you feel it might be of benefit. Please state the following: Reprinted with permission from Allison Quattrocchi of Dance with Eagles, www.dancewitheagles.com. All past museletters are posted on my website.
Names of subscribers will never be shared or sold.
|
|
WINGS Vol. IV, No 2, April, 2005
