Aggressor Humpback trip...who's been?

Best time to go? How many encounters can expect?

Thanks!

We did it last year Mike and had an amazing experience. We had two full day encounters with a mother and calf which was magical but I'm not entirely sure they get that every trip!

To give you some idea of how our week played out of the 5 days we were at Silver Banks we were in the water all day for 2 days, 30% in the water for one day and probably only 5%-10% for the other two days. Initially there was a lot of gently poodling around looking for sleeping mother and calf's. You then need to make sure they are nice and settled before you can get into the water. We got into the water a couple of times when the whales were on the move and it was literally a flyby there and gone within 30 seconds. Exhilarating, but that probably took 2 or more hours to set up!

The Aggressor boat was a little dated but the service was the best I've ever had on a liveaboard. I think the boat has had a refit since we were on it. Have they still got availability at this late stage? Normally they are booked up many months in advance.

Cheers, Simon

We did it last year Mike and had an amazing experience. We had two full day encounters with a mother and calf which was magical but I'm not entirely sure they get that every trip!

 

To give you some idea of how our week played out of the 5 days we were at Silver Banks we were in the water all day for 2 days, 30% in the water for one day and probably only 5%-10% for the other two days. Initially there was a lot of gently poodling around looking for sleeping mother and calf's. You then need to make sure they are nice and settled before you can get into the water. We got into the water a couple of times when the whales were on the move and it was literally a flyby there and gone within 30 seconds. Exhilarating, but that probably took 2 or more hours to set up!

 

The Aggressor boat was a little dated but the service was the best I've ever had on a liveaboard. I think the boat has had a refit since we were on it. Have they still got availability at this late stage? Normally they are booked up many months in advance.

 

Cheers, Simon

Thanks Simon! You were right, they are booked up for this year. Sounds like it's worth it to give it a try next year.

Mike

Thanks Simon! You were right, they are booked up for this year. Sounds like it's worth it to give it a try next year.

 

Mike

I believe Aquatic Adventures still has spaces on their 2011 itinerary. They use Explorer Ventures Turks and Caicos Explorer boat which is a very nice vessel. Also, Tom Conlin, the leader of the trips has been doing it for 21 years. Looks like fun; I haven't done this yet, but it's on our list for 2012.

http://www.aquaticadventures.com/

JP

I have worked on the T & C Aggressor for the last two whale seasons (20 weeks), so I though I could shed some light on the expeditions... As for the best time to go: the whales are in the Silver Banks from January through April. The 10 weeks that the three boats (T&C Aggressor, Sun Dancer, and T&C Explorer) are there is the "middle" of the season. The whales are all around throughout the 10 weeks, but the types of encounters that we see change throughout the season. In the beginning of the 10 weeks, you can find mothers and calves, but the babies are very young and therefor the mothers a little more protective. It is sometimes a little more difficult to have a settled in-water encounter with these pairs. You do however typically see more "rowdy groups" which are lots of males chasing a female thats ready to mate. (For me, personally... these are the best encounters. You do not get in the water with these whales - for one thing they can be moving incredibly fast.... but the chases are incredible - two years ago I saw two male whales breach on top of each other. I'm talking both animals were COMPLETELY out of the water and one landed on top of the other. and it was about 40 feet from my chase boat) And in the beginning and into the middle of the season you are more likely to see 'dancing whales' or 'valentines' -- where a male and a female are about to mate. This is not necessarily a common experience, but if you catch it right, you can be in the water for hours with adult whales performing their pre-mating ritual -- Absolutely MIND-BLOWING. In the middle of the season, the mothers and babies are starting to get more comfortable and the moms are relaxed -- more likely to allow you to spend lots of time in the water with them. You still can get rowdies and dancers at this point as well. Towards the end of the season, the babies are getting much bigger and more playful. You can have great inwater encounters and lots of babies playing on the surface. The moms have to teach the baby all the acrobatics that she has perfected, so you often see mom and baby breaching class, pec slaps, tail lobs and lots of exciting surface stuff. When you get settled inwater encounters -- they are often great and can last several hours or even days. The key to having a successful week with the whales is to remember that it is not Sea World. These are wild, huge animals and they are free to do whatever they want. You might have an entire morning where you only see one or two blows, then all of a sudden in the afternoon you get in the water for an hour or more. If you go into the week hoping to see whales... you will. But if you go into the week expecting to be in the water 24 hours a day... its not gonna happen. If you keep your mind open and listen to your crew.. you will have an amazing time. The encounters that you will have will blow your mind!! It's truly incredible!!! If anyone wants more info please feel free to send me a note. Hope this helps!!

Thanks for the great info Melissa!

John

Just to back this up Melissa was on the Aggressor when we were there. She was an absolutely brilliant guide and she definitely knows what she's talking about!

Cheers, Simon

HAHA thanks Simon.. I still tell people about your flamboyant cuttlefish babies -- A great video!!! Give my best to Zoe!

I have worked on the T & C Aggressor for the last two whale seasons (20 weeks), so I though I could shed some light on the expeditions... As for the best time to go: the whales are in the Silver Banks from January through April. The 10 weeks that the three boats (T&C Aggressor, Sun Dancer, and T&C Explorer) are there is the "middle" of the season. The whales are all around throughout the 10 weeks, but the types of encounters that we see change throughout the season. In the beginning of the 10 weeks, you can find mothers and calves, but the babies are very young and therefor the mothers a little more protective. It is sometimes a little more difficult to have a settled in-water encounter with these pairs. You do however typically see more "rowdy groups" which are lots of males chasing a female thats ready to mate. (For me, personally... these are the best encounters. You do not get in the water with these whales - for one thing they can be moving incredibly fast.... but the chases are incredible - two years ago I saw two male whales breach on top of each other. I'm talking both animals were COMPLETELY out of the water and one landed on top of the other. and it was about 40 feet from my chase boat) And in the beginning and into the middle of the season you are more likely to see 'dancing whales' or 'valentines' -- where a male and a female are about to mate. This is not necessarily a common experience, but if you catch it right, you can be in the water for hours with adult whales performing their pre-mating ritual -- Absolutely MIND-BLOWING. In the middle of the season, the mothers and babies are starting to get more comfortable and the moms are relaxed -- more likely to allow you to spend lots of time in the water with them. You still can get rowdies and dancers at this point as well. Towards the end of the season, the babies are getting much bigger and more playful. You can have great inwater encounters and lots of babies playing on the surface. The moms have to teach the baby all the acrobatics that she has perfected, so you often see mom and baby breaching class, pec slaps, tail lobs and lots of exciting surface stuff. When you get settled inwater encounters -- they are often great and can last several hours or even days. The key to having a successful week with the whales is to remember that it is not Sea World. These are wild, huge animals and they are free to do whatever they want. You might have an entire morning where you only see one or two blows, then all of a sudden in the afternoon you get in the water for an hour or more. If you go into the week hoping to see whales... you will. But if you go into the week expecting to be in the water 24 hours a day... its not gonna happen. If you keep your mind open and listen to your crew.. you will have an amazing time. The encounters that you will have will blow your mind!! It's truly incredible!!! If anyone wants more info please feel free to send me a note. Hope this helps!!

MIKE , THE ABOVE CAN'T BE MORE CLEAR AND PRECISE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION !

ONLY THING I CAN ADD IS TO KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU WILL BE ABOUT 90 KILOMETERS FAR FROM SHORE AND SOMETIMES WIND BLOWS HARD ,MAKING DIFFICULT TO GET OUT IN THE SMALL BOATS . BUT THIS USUALLY DON'T LAST LONGER AND WATERS WHERE THE BIG BOAT IS ANCHORED ARE PROTECTED BY THE BARRIER REEF.

I HAVE SEEN MANY CREATURES U/W BUT NOTHING AS TOUCHING EXPERIENCE AS BEING CLOSE TO HUMPBACK WHALES.

SO , IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE .... GO

GOOD LUCK

Another thanks to Melia01 for the most knowledgeable and informative post!

Thanks to all and especially Melissa !!

On a recent Marlin photo expedition off of Cabo we were able to get in the water with a few Humpbacks and it was a great experience even though all we got was a fleeting glimpse and some ant size pics....looking forward to giving it a try again!

Will you be working on the Aggressor next year Melissa??

Mike

elbuzo -- great point. this week the boats had to come in a day early because of strong winds.. it's just kind of the risk you take to be in the middle of nowhere..... in winter!!

Mike - it doesn't look like I will be there next season, but who knows things in this industry often move very quickly!

If you want to see some picture, I've put a bunch on my website at http://www.glassfootphotography.com - just click on the Dominican Republic album. The pictures were taken over about 10 weeks last year.. but it might give you an idea what the encounters can be like!