I have to admit, I am nervous. I’ve been on whale watches only twice
before, both in middle school. For the first one, it was really cold on the
water, and I wasn’t dressed properly. The whales we saw were too far away to
make an impact on my seventh-grade self. For the second one, a year later, it
was dark and rainy, and my lasting memory was of getting seasick. So for this
trip, I am staving off worried visions of a bored son and his woozy mother.
The forecast is not great as we head down to Plymouth – showers and a
chance of thunderstorms. It’s some consolation that it’s the same forecast we
often have in the summer around here, with the stormy weather only
materializing about half the time. The sky is blue, and with a bag full of
snacks, rain gear, and warm layers, we – my son, my mother, my uncle and I --
are as ready as we can be.
We board the boat and find seats up top, for the best view. After a
quick safety review, the on-board naturalist and her assistant give us an
overview of the geography of Cape Cod Bay and Stellwagen Bank, as well as a
primer on the types of whales we might see at this time of year.
It’s an hour’s journey out to Stellwagen Bank, which is a primary feeding
ground for whales. There’s plenty to learn along the way, with landmarks such
as Plymouth Rock, Bug Light, Clark’s Island and Saquish all within view. We
pick up speed as we hit the open ocean. It’s exhilarating and refreshing . . .
especially since we are leaving behind some oppressive humidity.
The boat slows as we approach another touring company’s vessel. Our
guide advises us to look off to the right, and everyone on the top deck moves
to the railing on the starboard side and peers off into the distance. And then
there it is! A finback whale surfaces and dives, surfaces and dives. The guide
explains that a whale will do this three or four times in a row, so we continue
to watch, and there it is again, surfacing and diving one more time before it
disappears into the sea.
We spend the next hour shifting, en masse, from one side of the boat to
the other, following the cues of our guides. We watch one finback for a while,
then give it a break, and motor off to another likely location for a sighting.
Then we are treated to a similar series of appearances by another finback. The
Captain John company participates in the Proud Whale Sense program, and follows
the guidelines intended to prevent harassment of wildlife, so we don’t stay
with any single animal for very long.
Dark clouds move in. The guide advises us to take cover, and most of
the passengers go down into the enclosed lower level, where there are windows,
restrooms and a snack bar. My son and I hang out down there for a little while,
but he grows restless, so we go back up top. It’s raining, but not very
heavily.
Soon, a minke whale makes a brief appearance . . . but then nothing
more. We are now about 2.5 hours into the four-hour tour, and my seven year-old
is getting antsy, so we decide it’s time to explore the boat. We find our way
out onto the small observation deck at the bow, on the lower level, just in
time to see the minke surface again, about ten feet away! Amazing! It was interesting
to see whales from a distance, but right up close like that is something else
entirely. Thrilling. We have definitely gotten our money’s worth now.
It’s still raining, and soon it is time to head back to shore. The
captain puts the boat into high gear, and we enjoy watching the wake pattern as
we motor back toward land. In time, the rain passes, and the sun begins to
emerge from the clouds. We arrive in Plymouth Harbor refreshed -- and delighted
to have seen a minke whale so close to the boat.
If you’re contemplating a whale watch, you can find out about schedules
and prices on Captain John’s website (http://captjohn.com/). The tours run through the end of October.
For more specific information about daily sightings, check out the staff
naturalists’ blog (http://captainjohnboats.blogspot.com/) where there are narratives about some of
the whale watch trips, and lots of photos.
by Kezia Bacon
July 2013
Kezia Bacon's
articles appear courtesy of the North and South Rivers Watershed Association, a
local non-profit organization devoted to the preservation, restoration,
maintenance and conservation of the North and South Rivers and their watershed.
For membership information and a copy of their latest newsletter, contact NSRWA
at (781) 659-8168 or visit www.nsrwa.org. To browse 15 years of Nature (Human
and Otherwise) columns, visit http://keziabaconbernstein.blogspot.com
