Everything you want to know before you book

In Dominica — a small, mountainous island in the eastern Caribbean, between Guadeloupe and Martinique. It is a country of its own and it is not the Dominican Republic, which is a different country about 500 miles away. People mix the two up constantly, including airlines, so check your booking carefully.

We operate out of Roseau, the capital, on the sheltered leeward coast. The whales live on that same coast.

• Six sea days on the boat
• Seven nights’ accommodation at Fort Young Hotel, in a sea-facing Fort Ocean Room
• The sperm whale permit
• Vessel, captain and accredited whale guide fees
• Breakfast each morning

Flights, airport transfers, lunches, dinners, drinks, travel insurance and tips are not included.

Breakfast is included every morning at the hotel. Lunches and dinners are not, which most guests prefer — it leaves you free to eat at the hotel’s seafront restaurant, walk into Roseau, or grab something quick before the boat.

Seven nights at Fort Young with six full days on the water. The boat leaves early and you are out searching for most of the day, so the pattern is: breakfast, boat, back in the afternoon, evening free.

Time on the boat watching and waiting is the normal shape of this trip, not a sign that it is going badly. Encounters can be up to ten miles offshore.

No — and neither can anyone else in Dominica. Short whale swim trips are not available on this island, from us or from any other operator. If you see one advertised, check it carefully.

The reason is the permit. Dominica’s in-water whale permit costs a great deal and the price does not scale down with the length of the trip — a one day outing would have to carry close to the same permit cost as a full week. There is no way for a local operator to run that as a day trip, so nobody does.

The second reason is that a short trip would not give you what you came for. We do not have exceptional swims every single day. Some days the whales are settled and curious and stay with us; some days they are travelling and we get very little; and on some days we do not find them at all. Last season 75% of logged sea days found sperm whales — across a six day week that is four to five days with animals. Compressed into one or two days, it becomes a coin toss.

Six sea days across seven nights is what gives the week enough chances for the encounter you are hoping for, rather than betting everything on a single morning.

No, and anyone who guarantees it is not telling you the truth. It is the open ocean.

What we can give you is the record. Last season we logged 105 sea days between 16 November and 1 May. 75% of them found sperm whales, and 49% were rated 8 out of 10 or better by the captain. Across a six-day week that works out at four to five days with animals, and one or two blank days is the normal shape of a good trip.

We publish the full season log — the quiet weeks alongside the record ones — so you can check that for yourself.

The main one is other predators. If orca or pilot whales move through the channel the sperm whales clear out, and they can stay gone for three or four days. No crew and no permit can work around it, and it can happen in any month.

After that it is conditions — swell, and how far offshore the animals are on a given day.

A great deal — Dominica is called the Nature Island for a reason. Guests head for Trafalgar Falls, the sulphur hot springs of the Roseau Valley, Titou Gorge, the Indian River and Scotts Head at the island’s southern tip. There is also a dive shop in the hotel, with diving straight off the dock.

Most guests add a few days either side of the swim week for exactly this. Tell us when you book and we can build the extra nights in.

No. These are snorkel trips only — there is no diving with the whales, and no need for it.

You do need to be a comfortable, confident swimmer in open water. You will be getting in off a moving boat, finning hard to approach an animal that is not waiting for you, and doing it again several times a day. You do not need to be an athlete, but you should know what you are doing with a mask and fins.

Three swimmers plus the licensed guide, at a time. That is set by Dominica’s whale permit, not by us.

With six guests on the boat the group splits into two threes and rotates turns on each drop, so everyone gets the same share of the water rather than racing for it. We need a minimum of four guests for a week to run.

Bring your own snorkelling kit. It fits properly and you will be in and out of the water all week.

• Wetsuit — we wear a 3mm full suit
• Mask and snorkel
• Fins — the ones you can actually swim hard in
• A boat jacket or windbreaker for the ride out
• Sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat
• A camera, if you shoot

Yes, and most guests do. The boat is set up around getting people and housings in and out of the water quietly, and the crew will give you photography and video advice on the water.

On a scheduled group week the minimum age is 16. Under-16s cannot join a group trip — with three people in the water at a time and the whole boat depending on each other, it is not a setting where we can make exceptions.

Families with younger children can charter the whole week privately. Take all six spaces and the boat is yours, and we can take children under 16 on that basis. Tell us the ages when you enquire and we will tell you honestly what we think will work.

To travel independently you must be at least 18. There is no upper age limit. Whatever the age, everyone in the water needs to be a strong swimmer.

Early. Six seats a week is not many, and guests commonly book a year or more ahead. Availability for each week is shown live on the dates and pricing page — if a week shows spaces, those spaces are real.

Pick your week on the 2027 dates and pricing page and use the Book Now button on that week. Your place is confirmed once the deposit is received.

If you would rather talk it through first, send us a message and we will come back with availability and answers.

$2,000 USD at booking secures your place. The full balance is due 120 days before departure.

• 120 days or more before the trip: 20% of the trip cost, plus the deposit
• Less than 120 days before the trip: 100% cancellation fee

Because of that, we strongly recommend travel insurance that covers trip cancellation, bought at the time you book rather than later.

Prices are quoted per person on double occupancy. If you want a room to yourself, the 2027 single supplement is $1,350 USD for the week. You will see it on the last page of checkout, where you can add it to your booking.

Solo guests are normal on this trip — six seats is a small group and people tend to travel well together.

Tips are not included and are entirely at your discretion. As a guide, guests generally tip 10% to 20% of the trip cost.

It goes directly to the boat crew, who put in long days making the week work.

Yes. Six seats is already a private trip, so dive clubs, photography groups, families and film crews can take the whole boat for a week. Tell us what you need and we will work it out — there is more on the groups and film crews page.

It is also the route for families travelling with children under 16, who cannot join a scheduled group week.

No — you book your own flights. Fly into Douglas–Charles (DOM) in the north of the island. There are now two nonstops from the United States:

• Miami (MIA) on American — six flights a week, roughly 3 hours 35 minutes
• New York / Newark (EWR) on United — Wednesdays and Saturdays, roughly 4 hours 30 minutes, running October to April

There is more detail on the getting here page, including a map of both routes.

No. Airport transfers are not included in the week. The drive from Douglas–Charles across to Roseau takes roughly an hour.

Transport options are set out in the prep guide we send you once you have booked.

At the Fort Young Hotel & Dive Resort in Roseau, on the waterfront. Every guest on the trip is booked into a Fort Ocean Room — the sea-facing category, with a balcony — and it is part of the week rather than an add-on.

The accommodation page has photographs of the rooms and the property.

Yes, and most guests do — the island is worth more than the six days on the boat. Tell us when you book and we can build the extra nights in rather than you arranging them separately.

Most of our guests do not. Dominica waives the visa requirement for a long list of countries:

• Up to six months — the United States, every Commonwealth country (so Canada, Australia, New Zealand among others) and every CARICOM member state, plus Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
• Up to three months — the United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Israel, Japan, South Korea, China, Mexico, Costa Rica, Suriname and Venezuela.

Whichever applies, travel with a return or onward ticket — it is a condition of entry as a visitor.

If your passport is not on that list you will need a visa, and you should start that early. Rules do change, so check the current position on the Government of Dominica’s visa page before you book flights. We are not able to advise on visas or process them for you.