Samaná Bay

According to the official tourism site, Samaná Bay is the main jumping-off point for daily boat excursions to Los Haitises National Park, Cayo Levantado and whale watching.

The Ministry of Environment sets the humpback whale-watching season in Samaná Bay from 15 January to 30 March; on the Banco de la Plata (Silver Bank, Puerto Plata province) it runs until 15 April.

In 1996 the Silver Bank sanctuary was extended to include the Banco de la Navidad and part of Samaná Bay (the three main humpback breeding grounds in Dominican waters) and renamed Santuario de Mamíferos Marinos de la República Dominicana.

Swimming with whales is prohibited in Samaná Bay; a March 2026 press report noted informal tours offering it from Las Galeras.