Whales Of The Silver Bank

Why Choose Us?

Having been responsible for developing the passive in-water whale encounter guidelines (and tasked with the training and oversight of other operators in the area), we at Aquatic Adventures are also responsible for improving those guidelines year after year. Indeed, the naturalist guides on our expeditions set the standards that all operators are expected to follow. The Aquatic Adventures Team has been featured on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Dominican Republic Tourism, in the Washington Post Magazine, and in various other magazines and newspapers worldwide. We have worked with numerous film and TV crews (Gregory Colbert of “Ashes and Snow” for his latest project “Song of the Sea”) and are accustomed to the needs of professional videographers and photographers. We also work hand-in-hand with the research community. In 2008 and 2009, we collaborated with NOAA to satellite tag twelve female humpback whales, thereby elucidating their migration patterns. Our team is part of the Large Whale Disentanglement program. Every year our skills are honed and our knowledge base is broadened, ensuring you an unrivaled experience in water and above.

Your Cetacean Specialists

Tom Conlin, Lorenzo Martinez, Gillian Morin and TJ Conlin have all been with Aquatic Adventures for multiple seasons. The Aquatic Adventures Team collectively has 913 weeks of experience in approaching, working and interacting with humpback whales.

Our Accommodations

Our vessel on the Silver Bank, the M/V Turks & Caicos Explorer II, is a 128 ft. custom designed luxury liveaboard dive boat. Comfortable and clean staterooms, lounge and dining areas, spacious dive and sun decks, and an intimate fly bridge area provide numerous spaces for socializing over an evening cocktail, editing the day’s images, or stargazing. Also equipped with modern instrumentation, communications, and stabilization technology, the T&C Explorer II provides the safest and most comfortable base for operations on the Silver Bank. The rigorously trained and experienced crew provides exceptional onboard service, and the talented chef prepares fresh and creative meals from locally sourced ingredients.

Our Tenders

“Escort” and “Challenger” are simply the best tenders on the Silver Bank. They are the second generation of whale watching boats designed by Aquatic Adventures, and encompass a wealth of informed design. All the mistakes that were made with the first version have been corrected, and numerous improvements provide the driest and most comfortable platforms for whale watching available on the Silver Bank. Clean, well maintained and reliable, each fiberglass tender is 25 feet in length, with 10 feet of unobstructed inside beam. From the spacious dry storage areas at their bows to the quiet, environmentally-conscious engines at their sterns, Escort and Challenger provide exceptional comfort, efficiency and safety. For your safety and comfort, and that of the whales, a professional whale guide will always operate the tenders.

Incredible Surface Activity

It’s not your average whale watching tour! The Silver Bank yearly plays host to 5000-7000 mating and calving humpbacks, and activity is high. Humpbacks aren’t called the “acrobats of the sea” for nothing: dramatic surface behaviors are numerous and frequent, including breaching, lob tailing, fin slapping and spy hopping. Rowdy groups (males battling for access to estrous females) form frequently here, and mothers with newly born calves are everywhere. To help you learn and interpret all of the humpback behaviors seen during the day, we offer nightly informative presentations.

"Passive In-Water Whale Encounters" Are Our Specialty

We know how to select a cooperative whale, and we know how to approach that whale. With 32 seasons on the Silver Bank to date, our experience is unparalleled; we developed the passive in-water whale encounter process and we are extremely good at it. Our naturalist guides will help you to experience prolonged, meaningful in-water encounters with humpback whales.

In Summary

The entire Aquatic Adventures team has the knowledge, experience and equipment to make your experience safe, memorable and trouble-free. We care about the whales and we care about you! Our passion is the natural world and our goal is to inform, delight, and entertain. We are certain that you will have a life-changing experience with us here on the Silver Bank.

From Our Clients

We had a remarkable time on the boat with the crew and in the water with these magnificent whales.

-- Lori & Don Traweek