The whale observation season has begun in Samana. It is open from 15 January, and the season reaches its peak in the month of February. The Ministry of Environment has agreed to extend it this year through mid-April.
Thousands of humpbacked whales from the North Atlantic migrate to the waters of the Dominican Republic each winter to mate and give birth. Their most popular winter rendezvous is Silver Bank, the 3,000-square-kilometer reef system approximately 70 miles north east of Puerto Plata. Many continue and gather in Samana Bay. More than 1,500 humpbacks visit the bay, with as many as 300 present at any given time during the mating season.
The World Wildlife Fund considers Samana Bay one of the best places in the world to watch whales. It offers something for everyone – the outer bay is where you might find aggressive males competing for the favors of willing females, and the sheltered inner bay is one of the most important humpbacked whale nurseries in the world.
See http://dr1.com/travel/special/whales.shtml