Sperm whale @ Dominica. My first ever whale encounter when snorkeling.

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blondbrew@reddit

Does someone know where around Dominica I can find the sperm whales. I will be there by boat in a few days :)

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swisstrip@reddit (OP)

You will need a hydrohone to find them. It is a large ocean and they are always moving.

They say the whales are all around Dominica, but conditions on the east side are usually difficult, so you want ro stick to the west side.

Also, if you want to snorkel with them you need a permit issued by the government. Otherwise you might get in trouble. I have witnessed how a licensed operators called the authorities on some snorkllers without permit.

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blondbrew@reddit

Did you go with a local company? I only found one that wants 2000 USD for the day trip

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swisstrip@reddit (OP)

I know it is absurdly expensive snd slso the permits are kind of rare and cost a lot.

I paid about 950 per day. It was a private tour, but obviously local guides and boating companies were involved as well.

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gsizzle2020@reddit

Who did you use? Were you able to see the whales and swim with them in one day?

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swisstrip@reddit (OP)

It was organized by a friend. Havent been involved in the organizational details.

We were looking for the whales for 10 days. From those days we had 2 days where we didnt spot a single whale, some with some encounters and long searching in between, and 2 absolutely phantastic days with whales all day long. You just dont know ehat they day will bring and have to plan for enough time.

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herbgotty@reddit

What tour operator did you use? I’m looking at options and that would be very helpful! Thanks in advance.

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Optimal_Spend4060@reddit

avoid Nadia and Patrick Dykstra. Go with Adventure Quest or SDM diving

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Leather_Exercise_65@reddit

Im looking for the laws regarding the in water incouters. Do you happend to have those or know where to get a hold of them?

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swisstrip@reddit (OP)

I only know that you need a permit and that they dont give that many permits. Without a permit it you are not allowed to be in the water with them.

If you have a permit, max 5 people can be in the water et the same time.

If a operator with a permit is seeing you enter the water without permit (they know very well who has a permit) or if you dontt follow the rules, they might call the officials/police on you. Our operator did exactly that because aa boat without permit was also going after the whales.

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swisstrip@reddit (OP)

Yes, we were more than expecting them. Our tour is all about sperm whales.

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Cute-Swing-4105@reddit

Tell me more on how you got there, what you did, etc. I saw the 60 Minutes profile now I want to go there. I’ve been all over the world whale watching and need to do this now.