IN MY EXPERIENCE, the central danger of swimming with whales in the open ocean is not that you will get smushed or chomped by a multi-ton marine mammal or somehow vanish into the deep but, rather, that you may contract a scorching case of whale-swimming fever. This is a condition for which there is no known cure: those afflicted live in a state of perpetual longing, always dreaming of returning to the water and the whales. I should know. I'm one of them.
For chronic sufferers, one of the world's most alluring destinations is Dominica (doh-min-nee-kah), a mountainous dollop of a nation in the Lesser Antilles, the Caribbean's southeasternmost arc of islands. There, a population of around 200 sperm whales resides year-round in warm and sheltered waters. Historically, a strict permit system has kept commercial whale swimming to a minimum-a good thing for both the whales and their human guests, since fewer swimmers mean less disruption and higher-quality, more ethical encounters. And in 2023, the Dominican government announced plans to establish the world's first marine protected area for sperm whales, a 300-square-mile reserve that could help secure a brighter future for these remarkable animals.
この記事は Travel+Leisure US の October 2024 版に掲載されています。
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この記事は Travel+Leisure US の October 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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