A whale and two calves were sighted Friday from the La Feria area on Santo Domingo's Malecón. This is the second visit by humpback whales in only eleven days. The unusual sight at 1pm drew dozens of locals and tourists who stood in pouring rain to admire the majesty of these beautiful creatures. Their visit even caused traffic jams in the area.

While large numbers of these whales congregate in Samana Bay and Silver Bank off the coast of Puerto Plata for mating season every year between December and March, it is highly unusual to have a sighting of them on the south coast of the island.

While unusual, the head of The Center for Conservation and Eco-development of Samana Bay, Patricia Lamelas, explained that it was normal as humpback whales like coastal waters and do not stray too far away from a coastline.