MOBY DICK. JONAH. The sperm whales of legend seem nothing like this gentle leviathan lounging with calf at her side. Shy and reclusive, with her Mona Lisa smile, she seems to have more in common with a manatee or sea cow. Tenderly, she and the other females care for their calves and socialize with the juvenile males, occasionally leaving the babies at the surface to dive deep below in search of giant squid.

Anywhere else in the world it's rare to see sperm whales socializing like this. But off Dominica—the "nature island" of the Caribbean—it's almost commonplace.

Why Dominica?
The west coast of Dominica is completely sheltered from the Atlantic and quickly drops to thousands of feet deep. This makes for an ideal calving and breeding ground, with the added convenience of a deep-sea dining room close at hand. And while sperm whales elsewhere may be quite transient, the ones who have discovered the charms of Dominica often stay for years.

With the main whale-watching site just a few miles offshore and sperm whales here year-round, visitors can easily catch a glimpse into their secretive lives. This, plus an abundance of other whale species, has made tiny Dominica the whale watching capital of the Caribbean with a 90 percent success rate for whale spotting.

Going to extremes.
"Above all other hunted whales, his is an unwritten life," wrote Herman Melville in Moby Dick. And to a large extent, that mystery still holds true.

We know that sperm whales have the largest brains and are among the deepest divers of all the whales. They belt out the loudest sounds in the animal kingdom, with sonar as loud as a rifle shot three feet from your ear. And they routinely forage for over an hour at depths that would crush a submarine.

But despite the fact that they may be the most abundant of the great whales, little is known about them because they spend so much of their time beneath the sea. For instance, why do they have corrugated skin on the back two-thirds of their body? Does it expand in the high-pressure depths? Why is there white around their lips? Is it to attract prey in the pitch-black waters? Many mysteries remain, but the excellent study area off Dominica is helping marine biologists answer some of these intriguing questions.

The offshore social club.
Dominica is said to be one of the best places in the world to observe the social habits of sperm whales. Groups here often spend time at the surface, side by side in a line. At other times, they interact playfully, rolling around each other, spy hopping and breaching. Perhaps the best photo ops, though, are dramatic tail shots when the whales are sounding. And what a tail it is! They sport the longest flukes of any whale—what leery whale hunters used to call "the hand of God."

Dominica's sperm whales share their home with at least 21 other species of whale and many species of dolphin, so you're also likely to see some of the sperm whale's kissing cousins. Humpback whales come to Dominica to sing their songs, particularly in January and February. Spotted and spinner dolphins are frequently seen in pods that sometimes number over 500, and pilot whales are often seen in pods of 50 or 60. Bottlenose, Fraser's and Risso's dolphins, pygmy sperm, false killer, dwarf sperm, melon-headed and orca whales... Dominica is the place to be if you're a marine mammal.

The experience of seeing these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat is unforgettable. And once you've seen delightful Dominica, the place they've chosen to live, you might guess they're really not so different from us after all.

See the whales of Dominica on a 10- to 14-day Caribbean cruise.
Whales can be seen year-round off Dominica, but the very best whalewatching months are from the end of November to March, giving you one more good reason to escape the winter cold and visit the warm beaches and gentle pleasures of the Caribbean.

Featured cruises sponsored by Cruise Direct Online. Click on the Ship's name for more information.

10-Day Southern Caribbean Seafarer®
Volendam / Maasdam
Oct 2006-Apr 2007 and Oct-Nov 2007
Roundtrip Ft. Lauderdale

11-Day Southern Caribbean
Noordam
Oct 2006-Mar 2007 and Oct-Dec 2007
Roundtrip New York

12-Day Southern Caribbean
Amsterdam
January 2, 2007
Roundtrip Ft. Lauderdale

14-Day Southern Caribbean
Ryndam/ ms Veendam
Oct 2006-Mar 2007 and Nov 2007
Roundtrip Tampa