About the Silver Bank, Dominican Republic
Your destination on this adventure is the Silver Bank, a territory of the Dominican Republic, and part of the Sanctuary for the Marine Mammals of the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Republic is in the area commonly referred to as the Caribbean. More accurately, it is part of the Antilles, which is the widely spread island group that forms the greater part of the West Indies, and that encompass the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are further divided into the Greater and Lesser Antilles. The Greater Antilles includes Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico.
Hispaniola, the second largest island in all the Antilles, is shared by the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with the Dominican Republic occupying the eastern two thirds. Lying north of Hispaniola and the Dominican Republic, the Silver Bank is actually not in the Caribbean Sea at all, but is still correctly referred to as being part of the Caribbean.
Geography and Location
The Silver Bank lies approximately 70 miles (110km) north of the coast of the Dominican Republic, and almost the same distance southeast of the Turks & Caicos. Surrounded by ocean waters thousands of feet deep, the irregular shaped 10 x 20 mile (16 x 32km) area rises to a submerged limestone plateau, know as a bank, with an average depth of 100 feet (30 meters), and 60 feet (18 meters) in the shallower areas.
The northern edge of the bank hosts an impressive chain of coral heads of varying number and density. In the densest part of the reef lies the landmark wreck of the freighter Polyxeni, and it is here, in the nearby designated anchorage, that the mother vessel moors for the duration of your visit.
Sanctuary for the Marine Mammals of the Dominican Republic
The Silver Bank is part of the much larger Sanctuary for the Marine Mammals of the Dominican Republic. The Sanctuary encompasses not only the shallower calving and breeding grounds of the Silver and Navidad Banks, and Samana Bay, but also all of the deeper ocean waters between, which are heavily traveled migration routes for whales headed to other parts of the Antilles.
On October 14, 1986, the Dominican Republic recognized the vital importance of the Silver Bank by establishing the Silver Bank Sanctuary. Ten years later the Dominican Republic strengthened that commitment on July 5, 1996 when a presidential decree enlarged the Sanctuary to it's current size and renamed it the Sanctuary for the Marine Mammals of the Dominican Republic.
In the above map, the area marked in dark blue shows the territorial waters of the
Dominican Republic; the green shows the waters of the Sanctuary for
the Marine Mammals; and in light blue, the "Banco de la Plata" is
the Silver Bank.
As part of the Sanctuary, all activity on the Silver Bank must adhere to strict guidelines set forth by the office of The Sub-Secretariat of Protected Areas & Biodiversity of the Dominican Republic, and overseen by the on site Coordinator of the Silver Bank. Among other things, these guidelines limit the number of vessels on the Silver Bank. In fact, no vessel may visit the Silver Bank without a permit. As a guest of Conscious Breath Adventures you will be traveling into this humpback whale habitat with an authorized holder of one of only three permits issued. This limits the total number of guests on the Silver Bank to around 60 a week, and approximately 500 in an entire season. The low numbers help protect the whales from excessive contact, but an added benefit for the guest is that it also eliminates crowding.
Typically the daily excursions aboard the tenders range 3-5 miles from the anchorage, often much less. This leaves the vast majority of the Sanctuary completely undisturbed. It also means that on a planet with a human population of 6.5 billion, visitors to the Silver Bank are part of a very very small percentage of people fortunate enough to experience one of the natural wonders of the world.
In the Sanctuary there are general regulations which govern the conduct of the larger vessels with regards to safety protocols, designated anchorage, maximum speed of operation, and more. There are also guidelines for tender approach and surface whale watching which define harassment, and dictate the speed and direction of approach and travel in proximity to the whales and other operators. The rules also set forth the accepted technique for in water encounters with the whales, referred to as a Soft-In-Water encounter. The guidelines also ensure that all the operators in the Sanctuary operate in a consistent manner, with an emphasis on communication and cooperation. This ensures that everyone on the Silver Bank safeguards the integrity of the Sanctuary and the humpback whales, and that all actions are governed not just by the letter of the law, but by the spirit of the Sanctuary itself.
Protection and Conservation
By establishing the Sanctuary for the Marine Mammals, the Dominican Republic has continued a decades long progression of environmental conservation and protection. With regards to marine mammals, the Dominican Republic has taken a leading role among Caribbean Basin nations. At a time when some caribbean nations are quietly supporting the resumption of commercial whaling while publicly advertising themselves as whale watching destinations, the Dominican Republic proudly confirms its commitment to these gentle giants by maintaining this Sanctuary.
Port of Embarkation: Puerto Plata & Cofresi
Your port of embarkation for the journey to the Silver Bank is on the north coast, in the town of Cofresi, located a few miles west of the gateway city of Puerto Plata and its international airport. Here is located the Ocean World facility, a tourist destination featuring an adventure park, casino, and the only full service marina on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. The Ocean World Marina is where your transfer will deliver you to board the vessel on Saturday afternoon, and where you will disembark at the end of your adventure.
Puerto Plata and vicinity is a heavily visited resort area with everything a traveler may need. There are the international airport, resorts, hotels, restaurants, shops, drugstores, internet cafes, taxis, and sightseeing. Many visitors to the Silver Bank extend their stay in the Dominican Republic to enjoy the shore-side facilities as well.
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