Dominica Whale Watching & Snorkel w/HAL

[dwdowns]

My wife and I will be on the Maasdam in only 9 more days(can't wait) and were thinking of doing the Whale watching and Snorkel tour while in Dominica. Has anyone done this lately? Are there whales to see in March? Where do you snorkel on this trip? As you see we have lots of questions, anyone sharing their experiences would be appreciated.

 

 

Thanks

 

David

[winniesbestm8]

Hi we are off in April with Dominica being one of our stops!

 

We are with a different ship, but have booked the whale and dolphin watching, I have found some articles on the net about Dominica being the best place to see whales and Dolphins, as of the horseshoe shaped bays are the perfect place to mate and breed.

 

I think I read there is a 98% to see them all year round, altough the odds are better Nov-Mar, so we fall out of these months, but still going to give it a try.

 

If you google 'whales in dominica' etc there might be some bedtime reading for you...

 

HTH

[dwdowns]

Thanks for the info. I will definitely do some reading and will probably go ahead and book the excursion. It will be totally awesome if we get to see some of these huge creatures up close. Any idea where they take you for snorkeling? Thanks again for the help. :)

 

David

[Stress]

We want to do the whale watching tour but it is not one of the choices when I try to book online. Is it possible that it will be available when we get on the ship - Nov. 29!

[whale-watcher]

We were there in January of 2005, and had a wonderful whale watching excursion. We spent a good 30+ minutes in the company of a large pod of sperm whales...just lounging at the surface. Of course, every trip is different, but this trip was among the best whale encounters I have ever had...second only to the friendly gray whales of baja.

[gizmo]

Hi whale-watcher,

 

Was this the ship's excursion ? Last time I was there I saw the boat and it looked very nice. I am assuming you did the ship excursion.

 

My question is about snorkeling. What kind of ladder was used to get into the water ? My concern is not so much getting in but getting out. About how many steps were actually in the water?

 

Thanks

giz :)

[whale-watcher]

We did the princess excursion, and our tour was whale watching only...no snorkeling.

[gizmo]

Whale-watcher,

 

Thanks

[Lady Vidora]

It's been a while, so i thought I'd see how your whale watching went. We will also be on HAL and I still don't see a whale watching excursion so I'm curious about whether you did it with a private company.

[gizmo]

Hi Lady Vidora,

 

Where are you looking ? This is from Hal's site:

 

Whale Watch & Snorkel Adventure

 

DURATION: Approximately 4 hours

PRICE: $79 Adult $49 Child

This scenic boat trip with a very knowledgeable whale naturalist is ideal for sighting the deep-diving sperm whale, pilot whales, false killer whales and dolphins. You will also likely see fish and seabirds. After this memorable whale and dolphin experience, you'll stop for some boatside snorkeling.

NOTES:

Restrooms on board. Wear your swimsuit under your clothing and bring a towel. While your guide and captain will do their best to find wildlife, sightings cannot be guaranteed.

[Lady Vidora]

Apparently, I am not looking in the right place 1!?!?!?!? I printed out the excursion page and it's not there. Hmmmmmmm.

Have you done the ship excursion? I've heard that the whale watching excursions from larger ships (carnival, RC, Princess) are crowded. Did you find that to be the case? It would be easier to just book through the ship, but even though I know there's no guarantee to see anything, I want to fully enjoy an emotional (oh, I know it will be) experience.

[gizmo]

Lady Vidora,

 

When is your cruise ? Many times Hal does not have everything listed for your cruise and you have to keep watching. As the cruise gets closer more show up.

 

I got the information from clicking on "Dominica" when looking at one of the cruises.

 

Sometimes not all tours are available. You can email Hal and try asking.

 

Other times excursions show up on the ship and were never listed on the web site. (wish they wouldn't do this)

 

I haven't done the ship excursion but saw the boat they used. It was very nice. I found a local who took us out in a very, very small boat. We were following the much larger boat and the guy kept calling the large Hal tour boat to see if they saw any signs of whales. The guy was very nice but the "ride" was something to remember. It is a wonder my back made it through the excursion and no one broke any bones. We were flying all over the place like bats out of h*** ! We were hanging on the side of the boat for dear life ! :eek: Think of bouncing around in a speed boat, although this boat was technically a very small catamaran. We were all soaked from head to toe. This is one excursion I will always remember. :)

 

The guy that took us out was a very nice guy. The tour was supposed to be around 3 hours but we were out much longer. He felt bad because we didn't see any whales but neither did the large boat. We did have dolphins swimming right next our boat. That was cool ! He took us to a small town at the end of the island and we got out to see some hot springs and visited a church. Overall we got our money's worth.

 

I am going back to Dominica later this year and might take the whale watching tour with the ship.

 

I found it was very difficult to find a whale watching tour on my own. One that I did fine didn't go out until later in the afternoon which was too late. I suspect this was the same boat the cruise lines used in the morning.

 

If you find someone please post it on this board. :)

[xsteves]

HAL is not offering whale watching in March. I emailed them and they said it was seasonal. But things I read say they are there year round.

[Lasarre]

I just checked and Celebrity does offer the whale watching/dolphin watching tour for our March 8th cruise. I have always wanted to do this. Is it worth it. I also contacted the 3 tour people mentioned several times for trafalgar falls etc..., but, if the whale watching is worth it, I would rather do that.

 

Any opinions?

 

Thanks

[Lasarre]

I just checked and Celebrity does offer the whale watching/dolphin watching tour for our March 8th cruise. I have always wanted to do this. Is it worth it. I also contacted the 3 tour people mentioned several times for trafalgar falls etc..., but, if the whale watching is worth it, I would rather do that.

 

Any opinions?

 

Thanks

[Lasarre]

found this on trip advisor:

Posted on: 10:16 pm, January 28, 2008

We just got back from a cruise and spent a day in Dominica. We went on a whale watch with Jerry Daway of Island Style Fishing Charters & Tours. He was great. He met us at the pier and it was a short walk to his boat. He took 6 of us and was very knowledgeable about the whales and sea life. We saw sperm whales and a pod of spotted dolphins that were amazing. I highly recommend him and you can reach him through email or his website. His email is *****************************.

[Lasarre]

islandstylefishing.com

*****************************