Dominica Sperm Whale Expedition
Swim, snorkel, and free dive with the world’s largest predator, the magnificent Sperm whale.
November 18th to 25th 2019
November 24th to December 1st 2019
At Seaworld guesthouse
$3180 per person, based on two sharing
$3280 single occupancy
At Fort Young Hotel
$3660 per person, based on two sharing an oceanfront room
$3730 per person, based on two sharing a deluxe oceanfront room
$4690 single occupancy in an oceanfront room
$4810 single occupancy in a deluxe oceanfront room
For November 2019 we have two secured permits for up to six people each permit to get up close and personal with the resident Sperm whales of Dominica, and take photographs and videos of them.
We will be based in Roseau, Dominica, for five days on the ocean on board the Bonita Rose with expert whale guide Arun “Izzy” Madisetti, returning the comforts of either oceanfront Seaworld guesthouse or Fort Young Hotel at the end of every afternoon.
Permits are getting harder and harder to to secure, this is an extremely rare opportunity to photograph these giants, at an unbeatable price. The 7-night trip includes fees, permits, breakfasts, group airport transfers, and transport for one day’s land touring.
We will be based in Roseau, Dominica, for five days on the ocean on board the Bonita Rose with expert whale guide Arun “Izzy” Madisetti, returning the comforts of either oceanfront Seaworld guesthouse or Fort Young Hotel at the end of every afternoon.
Permits are getting harder and harder to to secure, this is an extremely rare opportunity to photograph these giants, at an unbeatable price. The 7-night trip includes fees, permits, breakfasts, group airport transfers, and transport for one day’s land touring.
Each morning we will go out and use underwater listening devices to locate whale families. Once we have successfully approached a unit, three people will slip into the water with Izzy, and move slowly towards the whales. Interaction time with one unit could last 30 seconds or 15 minutes, the whales decide. If the interaction lasts more than a few minutes, the three people in the water will swap places with the three on the boat, rotating every few minutes so everyone gets a chance to share the encounter. If the interaction is too brief to allow a switch over, the next encounter will start with the other group of three going in first.
Last year we had interactions that ranged from 30 seconds to one that lasted 90 minutes. Out of five days we had one without a Sperm Whale sighting. Heard them on the hydrophone, but they didn’t pop up. But we did see a number of other cetacean species from the boat, and the view of the island is pretty cool. The other days, we had at least 20 minutes in the water with the whales, with a minimum of four whales at a time, up to 90 minutes with seven.
The interactions can take place several miles out to sea, which could be calm or could have some swell. You should be prepared to spend plenty of time on the boat waiting for encounters and looking out, and should also be prepared to do some swimming to approach and follow the whales.
We will take packed lunches with us, and there will be hot water on board for teas and coffee. Water temperatures will be in the low 20s, but in the water you will be moving quite a lot, so a 3mm wetsuit will be more than sufficient for most people.
The program
Day 1 Arrive Melville Hall airport, transfer to Castle Comfort, Roseau
Day 2 Sperm whales
Day 3 Sperm whales
Day 4 Sperm whales
Day 5 Sperm whales
Day 6 Sperm whales
Day 7 Island tour
Day 8 Return to the airport
Pre- and post-trip extensions
We know the island well, and can arrange extensions for you for SCUBA diving or hiking.
Some Dominican sperm whale info
Sperm whales form strong lifelong relationships. They babysit for each other, have family traditions passed on by grandmothers, learn a communal dialect, and have different ways of life that resemble our various cultures. They live rich, complex and interesting lives.
The sperm whales off Dominica are predominantly groups of females and their dependent calves living together in 'units'. In the Caribbean, these units are small, about 7 animals, and appear to be matrilineal, (a female line of grandmothers, mothers, and their calves; referred to as families). Young males leave their families in their early teens to roam the open ocean, mostly alone, and may never see their families again. Units of females and their young regularly travel across ranges spanning several islands in the Antilles, but they appear to remain in the Caribbean as these families have never be identified in the neighbouring waters of the Gulf of Mexico or the Sargasso Sea, where there is also sperm whale research.
Over 20 different whale families have been identified in the waters off Dominica, and there are about 10 that are seen regularly. Based on researchers’ images, It is known that they have been using these waters since at least 1984, but likely much longer based on their life history. Sperm whales can live to be older then 70 years. Meaning they meet a lot of other whales over their lifetime. It would appear that families have preferences with each other, and these social preferences endure across decades, suggesting that individuals can remember each other despite long separations.
Last year we had interactions that ranged from 30 seconds to one that lasted 90 minutes. Out of five days we had one without a Sperm Whale sighting. Heard them on the hydrophone, but they didn’t pop up. But we did see a number of other cetacean species from the boat, and the view of the island is pretty cool. The other days, we had at least 20 minutes in the water with the whales, with a minimum of four whales at a time, up to 90 minutes with seven.
The interactions can take place several miles out to sea, which could be calm or could have some swell. You should be prepared to spend plenty of time on the boat waiting for encounters and looking out, and should also be prepared to do some swimming to approach and follow the whales.
We will take packed lunches with us, and there will be hot water on board for teas and coffee. Water temperatures will be in the low 20s, but in the water you will be moving quite a lot, so a 3mm wetsuit will be more than sufficient for most people.
The program
Day 1 Arrive Melville Hall airport, transfer to Castle Comfort, Roseau
Day 2 Sperm whales
Day 3 Sperm whales
Day 4 Sperm whales
Day 5 Sperm whales
Day 6 Sperm whales
Day 7 Island tour
Day 8 Return to the airport
Pre- and post-trip extensions
We know the island well, and can arrange extensions for you for SCUBA diving or hiking.
Some Dominican sperm whale info
Sperm whales form strong lifelong relationships. They babysit for each other, have family traditions passed on by grandmothers, learn a communal dialect, and have different ways of life that resemble our various cultures. They live rich, complex and interesting lives.
The sperm whales off Dominica are predominantly groups of females and their dependent calves living together in 'units'. In the Caribbean, these units are small, about 7 animals, and appear to be matrilineal, (a female line of grandmothers, mothers, and their calves; referred to as families). Young males leave their families in their early teens to roam the open ocean, mostly alone, and may never see their families again. Units of females and their young regularly travel across ranges spanning several islands in the Antilles, but they appear to remain in the Caribbean as these families have never be identified in the neighbouring waters of the Gulf of Mexico or the Sargasso Sea, where there is also sperm whale research.
Over 20 different whale families have been identified in the waters off Dominica, and there are about 10 that are seen regularly. Based on researchers’ images, It is known that they have been using these waters since at least 1984, but likely much longer based on their life history. Sperm whales can live to be older then 70 years. Meaning they meet a lot of other whales over their lifetime. It would appear that families have preferences with each other, and these social preferences endure across decades, suggesting that individuals can remember each other despite long separations.