Conscious Breath Adventures: Winner of the 2012 Responsible Whale Watch Awards

"I appreciate the recognition afforded by my guest reviews and judging by industry peers. Respect is my currency of choice, and to have earned it from both groups feels pretty good. Thank you"

-- Captain Gene Flipse, Conscious Breath Adventures

At a ceremony held at Brighton Hilton Metropole on 26th October, we at Planet Whale were delighted to announce that Conscious Breath Adventures (Dominican Republic) were the winners of the inaugural Responsible Whale Watch Awards. What's more, there were two other worthy finalists this year with Eye to Eye Marine Encounters (Australia) awarded second prize, and Monterey Bay Whale Watch (USA) who took third place. We send huge congratulations to all three of them.

This is the first time that this prestigious accolade has been extended and is based on independent reviews by members of the public, and assessed by a panel from within the whale watching industry.

On receiving his award Gene said, "This is a great honor in and of itself, to be reviewed and judged by peers in the industry as worthy of recognition. To get to the final three required that guests and industry professionals all found something exceptional. We have tried for years to do our best for the whales and our guests; it's very nice to know that others feel we do a good job!"

To qualify for consideration, an operator had to score five stars in five criteria from five reviewers on the Planet Whale Ethical Review and Rating System. This unique rating and review system was created not by Planet Whale but by five Founder Partners representing whale and dolphin watching and marine conservation across the world. They are DolphinCare Africa, OceanCare, Whale and Dolphin Watch Australia, Sea Life Surveys, and Whale Watch West Cork.

Information courtesy of Planet Whale

NOTE: To join Captain Gene's whale watching program, click here.