Two males sing hypnotic melodies, vying for the female’s attention. They pursue her relentlessly, each hoping the other will give up and go home. When neither does, and the flirt- atious female fails to choose between them, the two suitors proceed to settle the matter like… whales. Huge, 30- to 40-ton humpback whales.
Engaged in a primal game of one-upmanship, the male humpbacks plunge beneath the water’s surface. They might karate-chop one another with 15-foot-long flippers. Perhaps they’ll slam into each other like humongous torpedoes. Or, with a flick of its powerful tail, one whale might slap the kelp out of its rival.
Each winter, 10,000 to 12,000 humpback whales migrate from the North Atlantic to the north coast of the Dominican Republic. Most come here to mate.
Females give birth to calves conceived during the previous mating season. But it’s the fertile females that draw the most attention. A single female humpback might be simultaneously pursued by as many as 20 hopeful males.
Centuries-old trek
No one knows why North Atlantic humpbacks make the long, arduous trek from as far away as Iceland. But they’ve been making the same trip for centuries.
Strangely enough, they don’t eat during their winter-long holiday in the Caribbean. Before leaving the bountiful North Atlantic, humpbacks gorge on small fish and shrimp-like crustaceans called krill.
They eat 1.5 tons a day (the equivalent of 12,000 McDonald’s hamburgers) and pack on 6 to 8 inches of fat. The blubber serves as nourishment for up to six months. Having survived a journey of up to 3,000 miles – eluding ships, deadly Orcas (killer whales) and large, drifting, commercial fishing nets that tangle and kill everything in their path – the humpbacks rendezvous at Silver Bank, a 1,900-square-mile reef system that lies 70 miles northwest of Puerto Plata.
A few miles to the east, Navidad Bank is another popular gathering point. But Samaná Bay is the most intriguing, if not the most picturesque, destination. It’s one of the best spots in the world to watch whales in their natural habitat.
A tranquil inlet walled in on one side by a mountainous peninsula and dotted by a tiny lush island, Samaná Bay is the world’s largest singles bar. Kim Beddall makes this claim to a capacity crowd of 60 hopeful whale watchers aboard the Victoria II. We laugh at the notion of whales getting “picked up” like humans. But this is precisely what they come here to do.
“During the course of a season, perhaps 2,000 humpbacks will cruise through Samaná Bay,” says Beddall, a marine mammal specialist. “They come to check out the action for a few days.” Then, like 20-somethings eager for a more happening bar, they’ll swim over to Silver Bank or Navidad.
As our double-decker tour boat chugs toward the outer bay, we scan the horizon for whale spouts. Beddall dispenses facts that make us all the more eager to spot our first humpback. “They swim in competitive groups …males fight for the right to escort a female… newborn calves consume up to 50 gallons of mother’s milk per day…calves grow at a rate of 4 pounds per hour, 100 pounds a day.”
A sighting
“Whale at 9 o’clock,” someone shouts behind me. I turn in that direction, as does everyone. A lone column of mist is barely visible against the pale blue sky.
The engine rumbles. The boat turns. We chug toward the whale-made geyser. Two humpbacks spout in rapid succession – one large, one small. Mother and child. But as we move closer, the whales disappear.
Soon, we get up close and personal with perhaps two dozen whales. About 50 yards away from the boat, a lone humpback pokes its shiny black snout from the water. Its enormous black back bends gracefully, appearing to form a “hump” from which the whales get their name.
Another whale blows a 30-foot spout, then dives like an attack submarine, displacing tons of sea water as it submerges. Two leviathan creatures lift their tails high above the water. It’s as if they’re showing off vivid white tail markings, which are as specific to individual whales as fingerprints are to humans.
The eerily beautiful song of the humpback accompanies the sightings like a musical score.
At one point, Beddall points out one, two, three humpback whales – two males in eager pursuit of a female. The males submerge, and the battle soon ends. The winner and his female companion will likely swim into the Samaná sunset.
But one thing still puzzles me. How do 30-ton mammals make out?
Elliott Hester is the author of “Plane Insanity” and the recently released “Adventures of a Continental Drifter.” Contact Hester at megoglobal@hotmail.com or visit elliotthester.com.
The details
Humpback whales populate Samaná Bay every winter. Boat excursions operate Jan. 15 through March 20. Victoria Marine is Samaná’s most prominent whale- watching outfit. Canadian marine biologist Kim Beddall provides expert onboard commentary in English. Onboard naturalists translate in a variety of languages.
Victoria Marine operates two daily three-hour trips, at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Offices are located across the street from the pier on Avenida la Marina, Samaná, Dominican Republic; 809-538-2494 or whalesama na.com. Fees are about $45 for adults, depending on exchange rates; $25 for children 5 to 10 years old; free for children under 5.
