The Potential of Whale Watching in the Caribbean: 1999+

magnet for tourists and is a good ambassador for the excitement of dolphin watching, even
for most who just hear about him or see him at a distance from the beach. In Ireland, where
the dolphin Fungie, or the 'Dingle dolphin', as he is known locally, lives, more than
150,000 visitors a year watch from shore or take small boat excursions to see him in the
harbor, creating a year-round local industry, and this has led to regular marine nature and
dolphin tours in western Ireland. Although few would like to see as large a number of
people descend on TCI, there is little doubt that dolphin tourism could be started with
more land-based facilities, as well as short trips off the coast. First, however, it will be
necessary to establish dolphin watching regulations and an enforcement programme.
Whale watching has been pursued at a low level since the early 1990s with about a
hundred or so whale watchers per year, mainly associated with diving tours. However,
over the past two winters, humpback whales have been showing up in the waters off Salt
Cay in some numbers, particularly in mid-season, with guaranteed sightings through
February. The months of January, March and even April offer fewer sightings. Nearly a
dozen operators from Grand Turk and Provo, most of them diving companies, have offered
whale watching as part of their dive tours or on separate whale watch trips, although only
three or four companies have bothered to advertise and focus on whale watching. The
numbers have not been officially kept but are estimated to be at least 1,500 whale watchers
in 1998 and 2,000 or more in 1999. Dean Bernal, who criticizes the boat operators for the
aggressive, often too close approaches, prefers to operate mainly from a land base, offering
week-long humpback swimming trips from the coast of Salt Cay (no boat necessary), and
has also taken excursions from Provo by plane to outer islands for whale watching.
Whales and dolphins are often seen from land, such as from the west side of Grand
Turk, and north and west of picturesque Salt Cay, 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Grand
Turk. Any spot with a good view out over Turks Island Passage offers a chance to see
passing humpbacks in season. Humpbacks sometimes approach the bay on the north side
of Salt Cay, and they can be seen from various other points around the island. Salt Cay
clearly has the best potential for developing a full fledged land-based whale watch
programme with solid educational and scientific dimensions, as well as commercial
implications.
Throughout the TCI, there are other sea lookouts and coastal nature trails, though
nothing specifically for cetaceans. Some could certainly be adapted for cetaceans, with
information boards and naturalists to show people how best to look from land. Many of the
remoter cays can be visited though too many visitors would spoil the experience for others.
The Turks & Caicos National Trust and TCI's Department of Environment & Coastal
Resources have developed a management plan to try to minimise the impact of visitors.
They would need to be brought in from the beginning on any plans to develop whale
watching more intensively.
At present the whale watch companies and dive operators urgently need to meet
with local scientists, tourism and other appropriate government officials, to sort out and
update the 1990 whale watch guidelines. Establishing regulations with enforcement
provisions would be the best option. A whale watching workshop is currently being
planned in the TCI for the year 2000, so hopefully this will put all the stakeholders
together to address regulations as well as other matters. In terms of future development,
most of the tours operate out of Provo and Grand Turk, and most are involved in diving,
fishing and other marine tours around the relatively short winter whale watch season from
January through April. Following the establishment of regulations, there may well be room
for more expansion here, as well as diversity in the types of whale and dolphin trips
offered (different size platforms, sailboats, kayaks, land-based, etc.)
The humpback whale distribution and the inshore presence of bottlenose dolphins
are fairly well known. However, a comprehensive detailed marine mammal survey of the
waters around these islands might well turn up more cetacean species within acceptable
reach of the main marinas on South Caicos (the Sea View Marina, Cockburn Harbour) and
on Provo (the Leeward Marina, Turtle Cove Marine, Caicos Marina and the South Side
Basin Marina).
Unlike many other places with great natural splendours, TCI has already taken
major steps to protect the native flora and fauna, both land and marine-based. It has one of
the most advanced system of national parks, sanctuaries and protected areas in the
Caribbean, with some 33 areas set aside in the past 10 years. This includes much of the
bottlenose dolphin habitat around the islands as well as the humpback whale wintering
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