Yacht Charters GONE WILD

Suri has the usual adrenaline-pumping craft on board, such as Sea-Doos, Jet Skis and Waverunners. Yet those feisty PWCs are a small part of the yacht’s unique fleet. Suri also carries a helicopter, a 30-foot mahogany speedboat, a 37-foot Intrepid center console, a 24-foot Munsun landing craft tender, a 16-foot personal hovercraft and a dune buggy. “Suri offers the ultimate adventure vacation for active guests,” said Reia Stannard, a charter broker at Charter World. “She has the most creative and exciting range of toys imaginable.”
Originally launched in 1978, this yacht was converted in 2007 and is now more luxurious than ever. The hull and superstructure are built with steel for rugged exploring, and thanks to an impressive fuel reserve, the boat is up to the task of venturing to exotic regions.
Available for $225,000 per week, Suri charters in the South Pacific and has made runs to far-flung locales such as Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu. For a true adventure, Stannard recommends cruising the Tuamotus Islands, where the pristine and species-rich reefs make this one of the most scenic scuba-diving destinations in the world.
A cruise in the Tuamotus, said Stannard, should include a stop in Rangiroa, the largest atoll in the region and the second largest in the world. Rangiroa consists of about 250 islands and sandbars, along with a vast and stunning turquoise lagoon. There are approximately 100 narrow passes in the fringing reef; the two largest (Tiputa and Avatoru) are entrances for shipping and also famous for drift diving. That sport is called “shooting the pass” in this part of the world, and it’s one of the most exciting ways to explore the waters. There are also submarine caves to see and the main lagoon itself, which looks particularly lovely when viewed from above, in the comfort of the yacht’s helicopter. www.charterworld.com.
WHALE OF A TIME
Here’s a big adventure for those in search of new and unusual swimming companions. The M/V Turks & Caicos Explorer II offers its charter guests the opportunity to glide side-by-side with humpback whales. Aquatic Adventures is the company that operates this 124-foot vessel, designed to comfortably accommodate passengers on the Silver Banks, a breeding and calving zone for humpbacks that’s located 100 km north of the Dominican Republic.
Research indicates the Silver Banks contain the largest population of humpbacks in the North Atlantic Ocean, if not the world. According to Aquatic Adventures, conservative estimates show 3,000 to 5,000 humpbacks pass through this 20-square-mile area in a single season (December through April). During that time, these creatures are extremely surface-oriented. Breaching, lob tailing and fin slapping are some of the postures charter guests witness on a daily basis. In addition, the waters resonate with the mating songs of these amazing mammals. “It’s a unique opportunity to observe their behaviors,” said Tom Conlin, the company’s founder.
Conlin and his crew have been working the banks for 21 years. That’s longer than any other crew, which could explain why NOAA chose to collaborate with this outfit on a two-year project to place satellite tags in female humpbacks. “Knowing how to work with whales and when to let them go is extremely important,” said Conlin. “We developed the process, and we’re extremely good at it.”