Watching whales from a boat on the surface is already a great experience but it is absolutely nothing compared to the gentle encounters with cetaceans under water. Close encounters "eye-to-eye" with humpback whales in their natural environment at the Silver Bank is unlike any other privilege in your lifetime. You slip into the water, the time stands still for a while, you hold your breath and simply enjoy the amazing life on our earth. Not only that you marvel these giant sea mammals with great admiration but these magnificent animals observe YOU carefully and, despite their enormous size, are so cautious towards us that nobody will be hurt.
It is very difficult to trigger the camera in this unique moment!
The Silver Bank (Banco de la Plata) is a breeding and calving area for humpback whales. Since 1996 it is declared as a Sanctuary for Marine Mammals (sp: Santuario de Mamíferos Marinos) for the protection of the cetaceans. Situated in the Caribbean Sea between the Turks & Caicos Islands and the Dominican Republic the Silver Bank is shallow and not suitable for large ships for the passage of the area, like the freighter "Polyxeni " which wrecked on a Coral Reef in 1965.