Nose to nose with a humpback whale

Every year, typically from the end of January through March, the Humpback Whales make their annual migration to the Silver Bank close to the Dominican Republic. The Silver Bank is situated approximately 75 miles north of the Dominican Republic and 100 miles southeast of Turks and Caicos

A mama whale watches her inquisitive calf in the waters by Salt Cay

Sighting whales is the most exciting thing and then getting into the water to snorkel with them is an experience of a life time

I managed to catch this one and he wasn’t too far off shore

On our trip to Salt Cay, we had the best ever for whale watching. We went out with Salt Cay Divers in their deluxe boat and had such an amazing time that we went out again for a second excursion. On our first day out, we saw FIVE mothers and calves. I couldn’t believe the excitement on the boat at each sighting.  Here in the Turks and Caicos Islands the whales are passing through so you need to book your dive trips and or excursions to enjoy this amazing sight.

Sighting a mother whale and her calf off Salt Cay

Humpbacked whale staying close to her calf

The Turks and Caicos Islands are on a plateau that is split by the Turks Islands Passage at which is some 6,000 feet deep (1830 meters) and which separates the Turks Islands from the Caicos Islands.

These majestic creatures pass through our area as part of an annual migration for mating and birth

Adults whales can weigh up to 40 tons and be 50 feet long. New calves can be one ton and be 10-15 feet long.

The gestation period of Humpback whales is 11 months. The females usually return to the place where they were born to have their calves.  A calf is totally dependent on it’s mother and can consume up to 50 gallons of milk per day. This causes a significant weight loss in the mother.

We were lucky to see 5 different sets of whale calves with their mothers

Escorts are mature humpbacks whales that tag along with a mother and her calf to help fend off predators

Mother and her calf swimming alongside

Snorkelers slip quietly into the water to swim with the whales

A whale sounds as Eva snaps a photo

Capt. Richard searching the waters for tell tale signs of Whales

Such a beautiful sight to see.

Sighting of humpback whales in Salt Cay with lots of tail slapping

Out on an earlier excursion with Salt Cay Divers and sure enough we sighted whales

Two thumbs up for an awesome snorkel with humpback whales

Little calf with mother watchfully taking everything in

A whale lying on it’s side raises a long pectoral fin into the air and slams it back to the surface with a loud splash.

Capt Jagan back on shore after another successful and amazing day in search of whales

Only photo of the Salt Cay Divers new boat but taken a day later when the winds kicked up and the waves were breaking over the seawall

Thanks to our son Mike and Mickey and Jayne of Flamingo Divers for some of these wonderful photos.

Mickey and Jayne several years ago and their exciting whale encounter

From Mickey and Jayne on their encounter at Stairway to Heaven at West Caicos

“Well….this site earned its name today!

What a truly magical day underwater – we were only 2 minutes into our dive when a gleaming white pectoral fin caught our eye, and then, the silhouette of a HUMPBACK WHALE!!! We sat on the sand to watch it pass by…and imagine our delight when not only did it not pass us by quickly, but it also decided to spend the dive with us! We spent 60 minutes hovering and watching this gentle giant hang in front of us, and drift up every 15 minutes for a breath of air, and promptly swim back to us again. When our air consumption finally dictated our ascent, we swam to the anchor line and slowly began ascending, only to look behind and watch him follow us! With us hanging at 15 ft, and him at about 20 ft, we simply stared at each other for another 3 minutes until, bittersweetly so, we had to finish our dive. During our surface interval he stayed just forward of the boat and drifted a little away, but we were up for doing dive #2 in the same spot, as we hadn’t had a chance to explore the reef there! About 10 minutes into the dive, he showed back up to our divers and hung out with them until again, alas, we were the ones having to wave goodbye to this marvelous mammal. (From the surface, Jayne had seen it turn around and head back to the divers bubbles). Truly truly amazing. What an absolute privilege, not only to have a moment underwater with this beautiful creature, but to have had some great, passive interaction with it. A day to remember.”

What a magnificent creature this is

A diver is dwarfed beside a humpback whale

Close up of a whale while snorkeling by Salt Cay

If you’re dreaming of seeing whales, the time to come to the Turks and Caicos Islands is February through March

These whales can grow in length from 40 to 60 feet (12-15 meters and can live from 70 to 80 years.

If you’d like to dive and chance seeing whales, please book your Turks and Caicos Dive vacation at Harbour Club Villas and Marina. We have two dive companies with dive boats in our Marina…….Aqua TCI is moored right on our docks just minutes away. Flamingo Divers are close by and just a short walk away.

Whale Watching excursions and Diving are available with Salt Cay Divers on beautiful Salt Cay……. https://saltcaydivers.com/whale-watching/

Diving is spectacular in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

See you soon.

Marta

http://www.harbourclubvillas.com