FOLLOWING THE PATHS OF THE WHALES (PART II)
My last months were a good blend of visiting family and friends in various places as well as travelling to several destinations – in search for sun, wildlife and of course, the whales.
In fact, the first whale sightings were quite unexpected in mid-December, when my mum and I travelled around Costa Rica. While I had been told beforehand, we would be visiting right before the whale watching season along the Pacific Coast of CR officially started (and hence no whale watching tours operated, yet), we were fortunate to encounter a humpback whale mother and her newborn calf on our way to Corcovado National Park, which due to its location and accessibility, can only be reached by boat.
After Puerto Vallarta (Mexico) a year ago, this was my second time and destination to see these gentle giants in their breeding grounds – and, to see the Pacific humpback whale populations.
However, this wasn‘t all just yet – in terms of whales I still had a way bigger and extraordinary journey to look forward to. A journey, that I had dreamt of since my first seasons in Húsavík over ten years ago.
In early March I boarded the liveaboard M/V Sea Hunter (operated by Undersea Hunter) to join Conscious Breath Adventures on the Silverbank, over 70 nautical miles north of the Dominican Republic, to meet some of the 3000-5000 humpback whales which call this area their home for some weeks every winter. For a whole week we would stay on the bank, which is part of the “Sanctuary for the Marine Mammals of the Dominican Republic”, trying to spend as much time with the whales – however not just on, but even in the water!
Swimming with these majestic and mysterious animals has been my biggest dream, but to finally get the chance to try felt more surreal than the dream itself. There are no words to describe that week out on the Silverbank, and not even photos or videos will ever be able to do justice to the experience and feelings one goes through when in the waters with these marvellous gentle giants.
Text & Photos: Sarah Arndt (captain / guide)
