In just a few weeks, my
youngest daughter will be getting married.
Two weeks ago we were all on Cape Cod for her bachelorette party, which
I must stress was more showing off the beautiful Cape were she spent most of
her formative days, than wild parties with questionable entertainment.
One of the most spectacular
parts of the weekend was a whale watch that ranked in the top three of whale
watches I have ever been on, and I have been on a few. Over 40, not counting the whale watches I led
in San Diego watching the California Gray whale. Those whales were at the end of a 6,000 mile
migration, many of the females were pregnant so there was no grandstanding with
these whales just, “Please are we there yet!”
But the humpbacks, they are
the ones who could support their own whale Olympics! They breach, they flipper-flap, they lob tail
and often they are happy to do so right by your boat. Early on in the trip we happened upon a pair
of whales, one maybe the coach, for it didn’t do any of these behaviors but
stayed with the grandstanding whale through the whole time. The other, you
would have sworn had Olympic fever and was out to do each and every whale
behavior till it got 10’s from its audience.
Two behaviors we saw that
day, I had never witnessed before. One was, rather than the usual tail lobbying
where they arch their backs and slap their flukes on the water, this whale hung
vertically in the water in a aquatic headstand and slapped her flukes both
forward and backward. She was so far out
of the water that we were able to tell she WAS a she. The female and the males, genitalia is
internal, however in the female, there is a lobe called, for those who care, a hemispherical
lobe that separates their anus from their genitals. Barnacles often, as it was with this one,
surround it. 
No one knows why they do
these things; play, perhaps an attempt to knock of parasites, maybe a way to
communicate for the slapping sound would carry a long way under water. Who knows, but it is fabulous to watch.
Her other unique behavior,
was swimming on her back with both huge white flippers extended in the air just
as though she were doing a back stroke. Whales are unable to rotate their
flippers as we do our arms, so she was powering her backstroke with her flukes. Again, the other whale just swam placidly
alongside. We finally had to leave this
pair because huge breaching splashes were off in the distance and the Captain
wanted to get to those whales too.
The boat did come upon the other
whales, allowing us to see even more spectacular breaches, more flipper
flapping and tail lobbing.
This night the ocean seemed alive with exuberant
whales. These girls who had never been
to the Cape or whale watching had the most amazing beginners luck. A trip they will talk about far longer than
had it been some other kind of entertainment!
IF you find yourself on Cape
Cod, between the months of April and October, then please, please, forgo a
beach day and head to Provincetown and the Dolphin Fleet, part of the Center
for Coastal Studies, one of the most reputable whale watching trips you will
find. The naturalist on board will give
a very thorough talk on these whales and the uniqueness of Stellwagons Bank
where they congregate to feed each summer. I have always favored the sunset
trip for you come back with the glory of a sunset on the waters, and the lights
of Provincetown gearing up for their always festive evenings.
Now, for the wedding, which
surely will prove as memorable!
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