THE SILVER BANKS, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Year:2003

Encounters with Humpback Whales

Season: January-April

Visibility: 30-50 metes

Water temperature: 25-26°C

WIND DANCER

From mid-January to early April the Peter Hughes' Dancer Fleet vessel MV Wind Dancer will relocate from her home in Grand Turk to the Dominican Republic for a series of epic cruises, venturing out to the Silver Banks, the largest mating and calving grounds of humpback whales in the world!

Captain Tom Conlin will again join Wind Dancer for yet another season of working with the whales. Tom has far more experience than any other operator in the area in the field of whale approach and tracking techniques, so guests can be certain of some truly remarkable whale encounters. Captain Conlin was instrumental in establishing the rules and regulations adopted by the 'Sanctuary of the Marine Mammals of the Dominican Republic' and he developed the 'soft-in-water' encounter technique, now accepted by the Sanctuary Committee as the standard to which all operators must adhere.

Every day two tenders will each take a maximum of 9 passengers out from the boat on twice daily expeditions to meet the whales for a three and a half hour encounter involving snorkeling and swimming with these leviathans of the deep. Wind Dancer will be moored close by. The highlights of this adventure will be when you slip into the water for encounters with these magnificent mammals. Perhaps a mother with her calf alongside may glide by, or maybe a female and her amorous escort will spiral around you for hours. This rare opportunity to enter the domain of the whales and share their world is one that you will remember all your life. Indeed, dreams are made of experiences like this!

In the evenings Captain Conlin will offer nightly slide and video presentations on topics including anatomy, behaviour, 'rowdy groups', feeding, mother and calf relationships, underwater behaviour and hydrophone recordings of the songs of the North Atlantic Humpback Whale.

It is also possible to scuba dive from Wind Dancer at the mooring at certain times, but please bear in mind that that the mooring destination is chosen for its suitability for visiting the whales and not for the quality of the diving.

For full details of Wind Dancer please see the Turks & Caicos entry in this brochure.

A Peter Hughes' Dancer Fleet brochure is available from our office on request.

£1719 in a Dolphin Deck Deluxe Stateroom

£1789 in a Master Stateroom

Includes:

· Airport transfers if arriving/departing on Saturday.

· 7 nights cruise on Wind Dancer on a twin/share basis with full board, including soft drinks, wine, beer and spirits.

· 4.5 days of snorkeling with the whales.

· Port tax and national park fee.

Additional week: A 10% discount applies.

Single Occupancy supplement: If you are travelling alone and are willing to share a twin cabin with a fellow passenger of the same sex you can avoid paying any supplement. If you prefer to have a cabin to yourself a 50% supplement applies and the deposit requirement is doubled.

Deposit: £600

FLIGHTS

Wind Dancer packages run from Saturday to Saturday, which means leaving London on Friday morning and overnighting in Miami en route.

The airfares shown are the least expensive fare category available at the time of going to press. We will quote you the airfare applicable, based on current fare levels and booking class availability, at the time of booking. The usual airfare deposit is £100.

AMERICAN AIRLINES

Depart on Friday morning from London (Heathrow) to Miami, arriving in the afternoon. After an overnight stay in Miami, onward Saturday morning flight to Puerto Plata. Return from Puerto Plata on Saturday afternoon via Miami, arriving at London (Heathrow) on Sunday morning.

£640 for departures 1 January-30 April (excluding Easter).

£875 for deparftures at Easter.

Includes:

· Scheduled flights London (Heathrow)/Miami/Puerto Plata/Miami/London (Heathrow) by American Airlines.

Overnights in Miami: £50 per night room-only at the Miami International Airport Hotel, a comfortable hotel situated within the airport terminal complex, on a twin/share basis. A single occupancy supplement of £50 per night applies.