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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Silver Bank location page.
Overview
Permit-controlled humpback whale sanctuary 130 km off the Dominican Republic where North Atlantic humpbacks gather each winter to breed and calve. Operators run in-water encounters by snorkel only — scuba is prohibited in the sanctuary. The most reliable humpback swim in the world.
Briefing note
Snorkel-only sanctuary, January through April only. Permit limits keep boat numbers tight.
What you'll see
2 species curated- seasonalHumpback whalePeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr
- seasonalHumpback calfPeak: Feb · Mar · Apr
Sightings evidence
1 record on file- medium confidenceHumpback whale
- Last confirmed
- Apr 2026
- Recent records
- 45 within 10 km
- Cluster months
- Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr
Sources & methodology
How we summarise this
We aggregate confirmed occurrence records from GBIF and OBIS within a fixed radius of each dive site. Occurrence records confirm presence and reveal seasonality clustering, but they DO NOT measure per-dive probability — there is no eligible-effort denominator. We deliberately do not publish a numeric '% chance of sighting' from this data.
Sources
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility — GBIF Secretariat
- Ocean Biodiversity Information System — IOC-UNESCO
- iNaturalist — California Academy of Sciences & National Geographic Society
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature
- OBIS-SEAMAP — Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab / OBIS
- WoRMS — World Register of Marine Species — Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
- FishBase — FishBase Consortium
- Atlas of Living Australia — CSIRO / GBIF Australia
- REEF Volunteer Fish Survey — Reef Environmental Education Foundation
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25–26 °C | 15–30 m | mild |
| Feb | 25–26 °C | 15–30 m | mild |
| Mar | 25–26 °C | 15–30 m | mild |
| Apr | 26–27 °C | 15–30 m | mild |
| May | 27–28 °C | 15–30 m | mild |
| Jun | 28–29 °C | 15–30 m | mild |
| Jul | 28–29 °C | 15–30 m | mild |
| Aug | 28–29 °C | 15–30 m | mild |
| Sep | 28–29 °C | 15–30 m | mild |
| Oct | 27–28 °C | 15–30 m | mild |
| Nov | 26–27 °C | 15–30 m | mild |
| Dec | 25–26 °C | 15–30 m | mild |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Gear for this site
Beyond the basic kit- Freediving fins — Long blades close the gap on a moving whale faster than scuba fins.
- Underwater camera — Bucket-list footage opportunity — wide-angle preferred.
Next step
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