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Whales of the Silver Bank
Special Marine Mammal Adventure Charters

Location: Sun Dancer II - Silver Bank
Dates: February 6 - April 3, 2010

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2010 TRIP REPORTS

• February 13 - 20, 2010
• February 6 - 13, 2010
• February 20 - 27, 2010

About the Event
Includes 7 nights shared double accommodations, 3 meals (except Friday night dinner), snacks on board the tenders, beverages (including alcohol), five days on the Silver Banks and up to 9 tender excursions (weather permitting) where soft in-water encounters with the whales will occur. Master stateroom: $2995, Deluxe stateroom: $2895 Additional expenses to plan for include all travel expenses including air transportation to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, arrival and departure taxes, round trip airport transfers to the yacht, Friday night dinner, and crew gratuity. Be sure to contact Adventure Travel for the most competitive airfares. 800-9-DANCER or 305-669-9391

Book Your Space Today !

It’s a Marine Mammal Interaction On A Large Scale
While visitors to the Silver Bank are often surprised by the number of humpback whales and are thrilled by the variety of surface behavior on display, what draws most people is the opportunity to enter the whale's watery world to encounter them on a more personal level, an activity commonly referred to as "swimming with whales."

The basis of a Soft-In-Water encounter is a passive, non-aggressive activity wherein the participants float quietly on the surface of the ocean in the vicinity of a tolerant and cooperative whale or whales, and allow the natural curiosity of the whale to draw it closer. Vital to the success of any in-water encounter is the initial selection and approach of an appropriate whale. This is where the experience of our on-board marine mammal experts comes in as they use their years of experience and to try and create the best in-water
encounters possible.

What Are The Whales Doing?
In the northern hemisphere's winter months of January through April, the world's largest congregation of North Atlantic humpback whales occurs in the waters of the Dominican Republic's 200-square-mile Silver Bank. During that time up to 5,000 North Atlantic Humpback Whales gather to calve, court and mate. On the Silver Bank, even experienced whale watchers are often surprised by the sheer number of whales and the variety of behaviors on display.

Having migrated south from rich northern waters provisioned with tons of blubber, the North Atlantic humpback whales do not feed for the duration of their tropical visit. Instead they devote all of their energy to birthing and nursing a new generation of young, or in courting and mating to create the next. The topside observer is treated to a full array of individual and group surface behaviors including a variety of thrilling breaches, pectoral fin slapping, spyhopping, peduncal throws and lobtailing. It is not only possible to witness all these behaviors in a day's excursion,but to have to choose which one to observe more closely!

The Silver Bank
The Silver Bank lies approximately 70 miles (110 kilometers) off the north coast of the Dominican Republic. Surrounded by ocean waters thousands of feet deep, the irregularly shaped 10 x 20 mile (16 x 32 kilometers)
area rises to a submerged limestone plateau, known as a bank, with an average depth of 100 feet (30 meters), and 60 feet (18 meters) in the shallower areas. The Silver Bank is part of the much larger Sanctuary for the Marine Mammals of the Dominican Republic which protects heavily traveled migration routes for whales headed to other parts of the Antilles.

Port of Embarkation
Puerto Plata & Cofresi Your port of embarkation for the journey to the Silver Bank is the town of Cofresi, located a few miles west of the gateway city of Puerto Plata and its international airport. Sun Dancer II is based at Ocean
World - a tourist destination featuring an adventure park, casino, and the only full service marina on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. The Ocean World Marina is where your transfer will deliver you to board the vessel on Saturday afternoon, and where you will disembark at the end of your adventure. Puerto Plata and vicinity is a heavily visited resort area with everything a traveler may need. There are the international airport, resorts, hotels, restaurants, shops, drugstores, internet cafes, taxis, and sightseeing. Dive Easy Travel can easily extend your stay in the Dominican Republic to enjoy the shore-side facilities as well.

Sun Dancer II Is Your Floating Observatory for this Charter.
Sun Dancer II will be your floating observatory for this charter. You’ll travel in style and comfort on the 2nd largest member of the Dancer Fleet®. All of the magnificent staterooms have en-suite bath facilities, individual air-conditioning controls, flat screen LCD’s and DVD players and most importantly—picture window views. There’s plenty of room onboard Sun Dancer II to relax…on the big covered and uncovered sun deck, in the beautiful and comfortable airconditioned salon or at the wet bar on the Lido Deck. Sun Dancer II also features all the standard perks of the Dancer Fleet.