A Tale of Two Whale Tours

I pride myself on being a savvy traveler who finds the best restaurants, hotels and attractions with a little help from the internet and local connections. So I knew Kim Beddall was the undisputed leader in whale tours in Samana. But, when faced with organizing a trip to Samana with visitors, I decided to jump in with a large, arranged tour that included whale watching with another company and an afternoon at Cayo Levantado afterwards. I’ve learned my lesson…

The first whale tour, courtesy of Bahia Cruise, turned out to be a crowded affair with 40 people in a motor catamaran on benches facing forward. Heading out to sea, the waves crashed over the side of the boat and proceeded to drench people and gear alike. I had brought a nice digital camera in hopes of getting some footage but I abandoned that plan as the crew passed out raincoats in a vain attempt to help curtail the water.

Our captain did a fine job tracking down whales in the Bay and soon, the boat was positioned within a few feet of a female whale and her baby. Unfortunately, no one provided any information about the whales or what we were seeing. The tour consisted of about twenty minutes of racing after the whales and trying to capture glimpses of the whales through a crowded line of vision. Not only did the waves make viewing difficult, but the packed boat and the low position in the water made photography quite challenging.

The ride back to Cay Levantado and the afternoon on the beach improved the day considerably. Our package included a buffet lunch and comfortable accommodations under the palm trees. A stroll on the beach yielded a variety of stunning views of Samana and the Bay and plenty of shoreline for a refreshing dip in the crystal blue water.  Refreshments were easy to find and waiters wandered between the beach chairs all afternoon making sure everyone had cold drinks. Our boat returned us to the port in Samana around 4pm and I felt the entire day had been enjoyable but not spectacular.

Fast forward two weeks to a morning on the water with Kim Beddall and her crew. You can read more about the day in my blog Whale Watching with Kim Beddall because the tour with Kim deserves its own blog. I’ll outline the key differences here, though, so you can understand the benefits of a tour with Kim.

First, the boat Kim uses is much better for viewing and photographing. With an upper deck and benches running parallel the sides of the boat, I found it much easier to get a good view of the action. Kim also provided a running commentary of the whales’ behavior and helped make sure everyone could see by making sure the people in the front row stayed seated so the people behind them had a view too.

Second, Kim shared interesting information about the whales and the other wildlife we encountered along the journey in and out of the bay. She gave the basics about humpback whales and she also explained the interactions of the whales we encountered during our tour. Kim’s crew passed around models and photos of humpback whales and Kim provided a running dialogue in Spanish and English. She also pointed out different varieties of birds along the way and diverted the tour a few minutes while we watched bottlenose dolphins frolic alongside the boat.

Finally, Kim stayed with the whales long enough to allow plenty of photography and questions. I enjoy learning new things when I travel and this experience was very educational. Unfortunately, I left my camera at home because of my prior experience trying unsuccessfully to get photos. Now, I want to head out with Kim again so I can document some of the amazing things I saw. To read more about a tour you must try if you are visiting the Samana Peninsula mid-January through the end of March, check out my blog about Kim’s tour. Take it from me – other tours will just be a disappointment.

A photo note: I make every effort to include photos in my blogs but in this case, I failed. I didn’t get good photos from the first tour because of the conditions and I left my camera behind (when photos abounded) because I didn’t think I would be able to get any good shots. Suffice it to say – lesson learned and always take your camera!