If I Were Going...: New England #3: Whale-Watching from Provincetown

I have been on many New England Whale watches, but none out of Provincetown (P-Town). Betty suggested it because it is only five miles from the Stellwagen Bank, as opposed to the 25-mile distance from Boston harbor.

So, we spent the night in P-Town and got up bright and early for our adventure.

A new site

The Stellwagen Bank is a 19 X 6 mile underwater plateau that ranges from 100 to 120 feet deep, while surrounding waters are 300 to 600 feet deep. When deep-water currents hit the bank, they rapidly rise, bringing up nutrients from the bottom and attracting a large number of animals to feed. This includes dolphins, whales, fish and birds.

Great Shearwater

As a result, the area has one of the larges feeding populations of Humpback Whales every summer. The Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, an 842-square-mile federally protected marine sanctuary, protects the wildlife there. This is where we were headed on our Whale watch.

Great for Humpbacks

The harbor is relatively small and easy to get to (with ample, albeit slightly expensive, parking).

Ready to go

Our Dolphin Fleet tour was on a relatively small boat that was full, but not over-crowded. As a result, we could generally get a good spot the see the Whales. And, we did see Whales!

Our boat

The weather was perfect and the sea was like glass. It was also very warm – probably the first time I have been comfortable when traveling out in Massachusetts Bay. On our way out, we passed the tip of Cape Cod, going past the three Provincetown Lights; all small, white structures that reflected in the calm waters.

This looks like a painting

After a short time cruising, we encountered Whales. The naturalist said we also saw Minke and Pilot Whales, but I didn’t see any that I could discern from Humpbacks, many because, unlike Humpbacks, Minkes and Pilots don't come very out of the water very often.

Fluke

I am not going to chronicle everything we saw in order. The naturalist told us at the end of the trip that they confirmed 28 Whales (ones they positively identify), but we probably saw about 50! And, to top it off, many were very close.

Many passed directly under the boat

The water doesn’t look clear because it is deep, but up close you can see through it to the white pectoral fins and bellies of the Whales. It was a spectacular show.

See the fin?

We saw lots of feeding behaviors ...

... deep diving …

... shallow diving …

... tail lobbing ...

... breaching (although the only picture I got was the splash) ...

... fin lobbing ...

... cruising by (very close ) ...

... and Whales lazily gulping down small sand eels ...

We also saw some very abnormal behavior – three males pursuing a female and vying for her attention by showing off with maneuvers and vocalization. Since Humpbacks mate during the winter when they are in warmer southern waters, the naturalist said they had never seen any mating behaviors like this before in Stellwagen.

Rare interaction

So, as I share some pictures from the trip, let me provide a little information about Humpback Whales.

A turning dive

A species of baleen whale, adult Humpbacks range in length from 39 - 52 feet and weigh approximately 80,000 lbs. The Humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head.

Sharing lunch with Gulls

Unlike many other Whales, it uses its flukes to propel it downward when it dives, causing its back to hunch over. It’s this “hump” that gives the whale its name.

The hump

The Humpback is an acrobatic animal known for breaching and slapping the water with its tail and pectorals, which is why they are great Whale-watching subject.

Lying on its back

Found in oceans and seas around the world, Humpback Whales typically migrate up to 16,000 miles each year. They feed only in summer in cold waters and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth in the winter. During the winter, Humpbacks fast and live off their fat reserves. Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish. Humpbacks have a diverse repertoire of feeding methods, including the bubble net technique.

NOAA estimates that about 900 Humpbacks come to Stellwagen each summer

The Humpback's pectoral fins are proportionally the longest fins of any cetacean, possibly to provide high maneuverability or to help regulate temperature when migrating between warm and cold climates.

Clapping

Humpbacks are baleen whales. They have 270 to 400 baleen plates in their mouths that measure from a 18 inches in the front to approximately 3 feet long in the back, behind the hinge. The baleen, which is made of fingernail-type material, has stiff hairs on the edges and is used to strain food from the water.

That tickles!

The Humpback has the most diverse feeding repertoire of all baleen whales. Its most inventive technique is known as bubble net feeding; a group of Whales swims in a shrinking circle blowing bubbles below a school of prey. The shrinking ring of bubbles encircles the school and confines it in an ever-smaller cylinder. The Whales then suddenly swim upward through the "net," mouths open, swallowing thousands of fish in one gulp. The baleen drains all the water initially taken in.

Fun to watch

Lobtail feeding, which is observed only in the northern Atlantic, involves the Whale slapping the surface of the ocean with his tail between one and four times before creating the bubble net.

Stirring up food

I will give more Humpback info in my blog about Boston Whale watching still to come.

As exciting as our experience was, another boat had a great show, too.