Whale Watching Excursion and Cameras

We have booked a whale/dolphin watching excursion with Princess and I have a question - will our camera be safe if we bring it aboard the boat that takes us out whale watching? We have a new Canon t3i and I'm a little bit concerned about it getting wet or water splashing on it. Is this a concern? Thanks!!

Yes, your camera should be safe. We did this excursion a few years ago and it rained some, so make sure you have a water resistant beach bag you can tuck your camera in when you're not using it. It was a nice tour and the people on board reminded us that at least a little rain is common, so be prepared so your camera stays dry.

Yes, your camera should be safe. We did this excursion a few years ago and it rained some, so make sure you have a water resistant beach bag you can tuck your camera in when you're not using it. It was a nice tour and the people on board reminded us that at least a little rain is common, so be prepared so your camera stays dry.

x2 for a waterproof/weather proof bag.

Thinking of taking a Whale/dolphin tour & wondering if anyone enjoyed this tour?:)

I'm reporting back! We had an absolutely amazing time on this excursion. We saw tons of whales and dolphins! It was breath taking! The camera was totally safe as we were on the second deck of the ship and no water splashes. It didn't rain so no worries there either! I highly recommend this excursion! Will be posting pics and video soon in my travel blog, link in my signature.

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk

We had an absolutely amazing time whale and dolphin watching in Dominica! We went in January aboard the Emerald Princess and booked an excursion through the ship. After this experience, I highly recommend that anyone who is interested in seeing whales and dolphins in their natural habitat go on this excursion!

I wrote about it in my blog with tons of photos! Check it out:

http://justinpluslauren.com/caribbean-cruise-whale-dolphin-watching-dominica-day-5/

We had an absolutely amazing time whale and dolphin watching in Dominica! We went in January aboard the Emerald Princess and booked an excursion through the ship. After this experience, I highly recommend that anyone who is interested in seeing whales and dolphins in their natural habitat go on this excursion!

 

I wrote about it in my blog with tons of photos! Check it out:

 

http://justinpluslauren.com/caribbean-cruise-whale-dolphin-watching-dominica-day-5/

Did you do the Safari or the Rib boat one? We are thinking of doing this next Dec. Thanks

Domenica Whale watch on a painful Rib Boat (Celebrity Cruises shore excursion). 2/18/14

Our 3 member family took part in a whale watch while visiting the island of Domenica today on the "Flying Fish".

A few things to know about it:

First, wear a swim suit. You will get wet, riding in this small inflatable "rib boat". It's wide open to the sky and we all got pretty wet from a few rain showers as well as the spray thrown at us as the boat churned along at a pretty good speed. I have a nice Canon DSLR which I kept in a case, but still worried about the whole time. The seats on this boat can be lifted up to reveal a storage compartment to stow your gear. However, the seats are *so* tightly packed that it's difficult to unearth your camera quickly. Bring a point and shoot cam instead.

Second, the boat rides low in the water, an advantage when/if the whales and dolphins show up. For us, we zoomed around for almost three hours before seeing anything. But, of course, that's the chance you take, just like fishing for anything. The fish appear when they feel like it.

Third, and most important, the seating is extremely tight and uncomfortable. The front half of the rib boat offers seating in rows of two. Not too bad. This gives you ample legroom side to side. However, those in the rear as we were, were crammed into rows of three, with knees squished hard against each other for three hours and *nowhere* to move or get comfortable.

In addition, the seats are like narrow saddles, spaced very close to the person in front of you, almost like sharing a seat on a motorcycle. There is a rounded chrome tube that doubles as a seatback for you and a handle for your neighbor behind you, giving them something to hang onto while the boat zooms along over the waves. Yee-hah! Actually kind of fun if you go for that sort of thing.

Bottom line: after three hours in this rib boat, you will love coach seating on any airline out there. My wife said she hadn't endured this much pain since giving birth to our daughter 30 years ago, and she is not one to complain.

All three of us complained of sore tailbones. And, men, think of how your crotch feels after three hours on a hard bicycle seat on bumpy roads. Not enjoyable. Barely room to stand up and stretch to relieve the pain in your posterior, knees and legs.

Oh yes, we finally did see 2 whales plus a few dolphins. But to be honest, the pain in the tail that this boat is...was not worth it. Avoid the rib boat and choose a different type of vessel.

Dave Doolittle

Sent from my iPad Air

http://www.capecodphotoalbum.com

http://www.europeanphotoalbum.com

http://www.vacationphotoalbums.com

http://www.teachthechildrenwell.com -14,000 educational sites for elementary students, handpicked by a teacher (my wife ;)

Domenica Whale watch on a painful Rib Boat (Celebrity Cruises shore excursion). 2/18/14

 

Our 3 member family took part in a whale watch while visiting the island of Domenica today on the "Flying Fish".

 

A few things to know about it:

 

First, wear a swim suit. You will get wet, riding in this small inflatable "rib boat". It's wide open to the sky and we all got pretty wet from a few rain showers as well as the spray thrown at us as the boat churned along at a pretty good speed. I have a nice Canon DSLR which I kept in a case, but still worried about the whole time. The seats on this boat can be lifted up to reveal a storage compartment to stow your gear. However, the seats are *so* tightly packed that it's difficult to unearth your camera quickly. Bring a point and shoot cam instead.

 

Second, the boat rides low in the water, an advantage when/if the whales and dolphins show up. For us, we zoomed around for almost three hours before seeing anything. But, of course, that's the chance you take, just like fishing for anything. The fish appear when they feel like it.

 

Third, and most important, the seating is extremely tight and uncomfortable. The front half of the rib boat offers seating in rows of two. Not too bad. This gives you ample legroom side to side. However, those in the rear as we were, were crammed into rows of three, with knees squished hard against each other for three hours and *nowhere* to move or get comfortable.

 

In addition, the seats are like narrow saddles, spaced very close to the person in front of you, almost like sharing a seat on a motorcycle. There is a rounded chrome tube that doubles as a seatback for you and a handle for your neighbor behind you, giving them something to hang onto while the boat zooms along over the waves. Yee-hah! Actually kind of fun if you go for that sort of thing.

 

Bottom line: after three hours in this rib boat, you will love coach seating on any airline out there. My wife said she hadn't endured this much pain since giving birth to our daughter 30 years ago, and she is not one to complain.

All three of us complained of sore tailbones. And, men, think of how your crotch feels after three hours on a hard bicycle seat on bumpy roads. Not enjoyable. Barely room to stand up and stretch to relieve the pain in your posterior, knees and legs.

 

Oh yes, we finally did see 2 whales plus a few dolphins. But to be honest, the pain in the tail that this boat is...was not worth it. Avoid the rib boat and choose a different type of vessel.

 

 

 

Dave Doolittle

Sent from my iPad Air

 

http://www.capecodphotoalbum.com

http://www.europeanphotoalbum.com

http://www.vacationphotoalbums.com

http://www.teachthechildrenwell.com -14,000 educational sites for elementary students, handpicked by a teacher (my wife ;)

Thank you for sharing this. It doesn't sound like a lot of fun. We did one in Puerto Vallarta & it was a large inflatable & wasn't bad, but it is a long time to be uncomfortable & then not see much. Plus the price of that excursion is high!

Maybe we will do the other one on a boat or not do it.

Hi, thanks for your reply. I would just take a regular boat to see the whales there, and avoid the discomfort of the rib boat.

Dave

We weren't in a "rib" boat (I am not really sure what it is though..?) - it was just a regular two-decker boat where we stood up on the top deck. There were lots of places to sit all around the edges and there was no discomfort at all!

I just posted a video of our journey - lots of great shots of the whales and dolphins :) Hope you enjoy!

http://justinpluslauren.com/caribbean-cruise-video-whaale-dolphin-watching-dominica-dy-5/

We had an absolutely amazing time whale and dolphin watching in Dominica! We went in January aboard the Emerald Princess and booked an excursion through the ship. After this experience, I highly recommend that anyone who is interested in seeing whales and dolphins in their natural habitat go on this excursion!

 

I wrote about it in my blog with tons of photos! Check it out:

 

http://justinpluslauren.com/caribbean-cruise-whale-dolphin-watching-dominica-day-5/

Thanks for reporting back!

We were on Emerald Princess in January too and so many came back to the ship with amazing pictures. There was a baby whale that was especially interesting.

LuLu

~~~

Seeing all of the whales, including the baby one, was awesome!! Were you on the same excursion as us?

Seeing all of the whales, including the baby one, was awesome!! Were you on the same excursion as us?

Same cruise but not on the excursion. FEEL AS IF WE HAD BEEN! :rolleyes:

So many would stop me and tell me to look at there pictures they had taken of the cute baby whale.

Seems it was enjoyed by all and they all had an excellent whale watching experience.

LuLu

~~~

Same cruise but not on the excursion. FEEL AS IF WE HAD BEEN! :rolleyes:

So many would stop me and tell me to look at there pictures they had taken of the cute baby whale.

Seems it was enjoyed by all and they all had an excellent whale watching experience.

LuLu

~~~

Ohhh hahahha. Yeah, it was a great experience!

We were on the two deck whale watching boat late in February. While the dolphins and whales were great to watch, the boat Captain used techniques that are illegal in many parts of the world to interact with endangered species. After our first encounter with 4 whales on the surface, when the Captain stopped over 100 feet away and killed the engines (the standard in much of the world) and allowed the whales to "do their thing", the priority became getting the "tail show" diving picture for everyone on board. This resulted in racing up behind whales on the surface, closing to within 100 feet, frequently around 50 feet, causing the whales to dive.

This is unacceptable in most parts of the world. On the first encounter, there was another boat in the immediate area, using a drone to film the whales, so perhaps the Captain felt restricted. Once that boat left, our boat Captain didn't feel so restrained, and raced around chasing every whale he could find.

We were on the two deck whale watching boat late in February. While the dolphins and whales were great to watch, the boat Captain used techniques that are illegal in many parts of the world to interact with endangered species. After our first encounter with 4 whales on the surface, when the Captain stopped over 100 feet away and killed the engines (the standard in much of the world) and allowed the whales to "do their thing", the priority became getting the "tail show" diving picture for everyone on board. This resulted in racing up behind whales on the surface, closing to within 100 feet, frequently around 50 feet, causing the whales to dive.

 

This is unacceptable in most parts of the world. On the first encounter, there was another boat in the immediate area, using a drone to film the whales, so perhaps the Captain felt restricted. Once that boat left, our boat Captain didn't feel so restrained, and raced around chasing every whale he could find.

Was that through the cruise ship!?

Yes, Holland America's Noordam. We also Seabourn passengers on board as well.

Has anyone been whale watching recently? I keep looking to see of any more reviews.:confused:

YES! We just returned home and went whale/dolphin watching in Dominica. It was a mixed bag.....we saw no whales, not a single one. BUT, we did see a pod of dolphins and we were all thrilled. They were fun and funny and very social. So, all was not lost. We were on a two deck boat, which had a roof for those who wanted to avoid the sun. We all had a great view and were able to move about the boat freely. We saw the "rib boat" out in the water and oh how miserable it looked! The boat was much lower to the water, which was good, but the boat was very small and the passengers were all seated, very close together with no cover for shade. The only shade was a tiny cover is over the captain. I would not recommend that boat. It actually looked miserable.