Thanks for joining us for our Cruise Report for Week 7 of our 2017 season. It was a challenging first few days of weather on the Silver Bank last week. We experienced a strong cold front with higher winds that made the seas choppy and even kept us off the water part of a couple of days. But we were comfortably situated on the Silver Bank where an abundance of whales provide ample whale-watching opportunity whether we are able to swim with them or not. 

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Even as we approach our mooring there is opportunity for whale watching. The Silver Bank is a large submerged plateau averaging one hundred feet deep or less and each week as we make the crossing out from Puerto Plata we typically come out of the much deeper ocean waters onto the shallower bank shortly after sunrise. Once we make that transition the chances of seeing whales shoots way, way up. From that point it is another ninety minutes travel to our mooring during which time guests can see all manner of surface social behavior such as lobtailing, peduncle throws, spyhops and the ever-popular breaching (photo: Ben Vieyra). In fact, about the only way not to see a whale during this leg of the journey would be to keep your eyes closed! And if folks don't feel like getting up to whale watch, with the big picture windows in each stateroom guests can literally whale watch from bed. It's a great way to start a week on the Bank.

The Silver Bank is a major breeding ground for north Atlantic humpback whales and they gather here in abundance each winter to court and mate, or, for the pregnant females, to give birth and nurture their young. For single males, the one and only reason they make the migration is to meet and mate with an eligible female. As the season moves on and the mating goes on, the number of available females diminishes as the single females mate, become pregnant and depart for their feeding grounds. But the males, eager for any opportunity to mate, will remain behind so the ratio of available males to females changes, with more males competing for fewer and fewer females. Because of that we tend to see larger and more aggressive competitive "rowdy" behavior as the weeks go by. That was partly the case this week. We saw several different rowdy groups of 3-6 whales and while that is not a very large group (we've seen as many as two dozen), the groups we did see were moving fast and fighting hard, being very physical with each other. One tactic we see regularly is when one whale will try to prevent his foe from breathing by riding up on top of his opponent making it hard to get a clear breath of air. Obviously if you are a large marine mammal engaged in a tough fight and you can't get enough air, it is going to place you at a serious disadvantage! We saw a lot of maneuverings between the whales as they tried to establish their top position, or avoid having their head held under. There was a lot of that happening in this rowdy group with incredibly fast and powerful slashing, sweeping maneuvers going on like a fight scene from a humpback action movie  (photo: Ben Vieyra).

Fortunately by mid-week, conditions began to improve a bit and the elements were aligning for a stronger finish. On Wednesday we got what we were looking for from the whale that is our Silver Bank champion for 2017, none other than the mother humpback named Canopy and her big boy calf! This was the fourth time we've seen and swum with Canopy this season (also on Week 3 and twice on Week 5) and this interaction was more of the same excellent action (above, photo: Ben Vieyra). Canopy is a very relaxed and accommodating whale and affords us a level of intimacy in our observations that is what makes the experience so special. It is curious to note that while we have no idea where Canopy spends her intervening time between sightings, all four times we have found her have been within the same half mile of reef. It would be interesting to know where she is moving around the rest of the time but it does seem that when she is in this area she has her favorite place in the reef where she likes to rest. We hope to catch up with her there again before this season is over.

As with earlier encounters, we spent a few wonderful hours in the water with the two. The reef is relatively shallow here, less than sixty feet deep, and with  good visibility we all had an excellent view as she rested and nurtured her calf. The calf was alternately curious and engaged, interacting energetically, or sometimes sleepy and indifferent; everyone has their moods! It is fun to speculate what thoughts might be passing through the calf's mind as it rests, looking at up us from below. (Photos: Ben Vieyra)

While Canopy and her calf were a highlight again this week, during the rest of our time we enjoyed a sampler of all the topside and underwater whale action that makes this place so special to visit. In the water we swam with several different pairs of resting whales and had a pair of social whales circle one of our boats closely several times. Along with the powerful rowdy behaviors mentioned earlier, there was more splashy fun including a bunch of pec slaps and chin breaches (photo: Ben Vieyra). One other noteworthy encounter was with another mother and calf pair. At first glance the mother's fluke had a striking resemblance to Canopy's. Both are predominantly black with a distinct white scratch on the left lobe. Similar, but the scratch was a bit different... Back aboard the big boat  later I consulted our copy of a recent catalog from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies of Gulf of Maine whales and identified her as a whale named Bolide. So we also swam with Bolide and her male calf this week!  Hopefully the watchers in New England will see Canopy and Bolide and each of their calves on the feeding grounds this summer.

In spite of our early challenges with the weather, it ended up another great week on the Silver Bank, with special thanks to Canopy and Bolide. Every season we are privileged to spend enough time with one or two or more whales over a number of interactions that we are able to get to get to know them as individuals, with unique mannerisms and personalities. This season Canopy has been our champion but I hope we have another chance to visit with  Bolide, too. I hope you will read about it here when it happens and thank you for  following us here and now. Until then our best whale wishes to you.

We hope that you have enjoyed reading this and past issues of our Cruise  Report for the 2017 season. As I write I try to instill a sense of adventure  and a feeling of what it is like to be in the presence of these amazing animals, knowing that even my best efforts can't match the reality. If you enjoy these stories then all I can say is that the actual experience far exceeds what I can say in words. It has to be lived to truly understand. If you would like to understand, join us! We are always excited to share the adventure. Now is a great time to make plans for 2018 and 2019, and we are  actively taking reservations for both. Take a look at our website or contact us for more information or to place a reservation. We are at your  service and always happy to help in any way we can.