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PROVINCETOWN GUIDE
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| DIRECTORY |
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Provincetown :: Wednesday, February 8th 2012
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The Call of Plankton
Whale watch tours begin in April
April 4th, 2010
Provincetown’s largest tourists are returning, drawn by the waters, the sun and especially, the plankton.
| On-board naturalists share knowledge about the whales and other marine life, and the ecology and natural history of Cape Cod. The whale sightings are also tracked, helping scientists to identify more than 1,300 humpback visitors since 1975. |
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That’s right, the plankton.
Each spring hundreds of whales make their way to the rich feeding grounds of the Stellwagen Banks, a series of underwater plateaus located about six miles north of Provincetown that provide habitat for an array of marine life.
These plateaus and the myriad creatures they house are a smorgasbord of sorts for the world’s largest mammals, whose magnificence in turn attracts another set of visitors – humans who hope to catch sight of them as they go about their feasting and their water play.
Whale watches tours, a must for every Cape adventure, are set to begin for 2010 on April 10.
Long ago, during the heyday of Yankee whaling captains in the 1800s, ships departing from Cape Cod in search of whales were after more than a sighting. Whale oil and ambergris were the stuff of their dreams.
But these days, boats leaving Provincetown offer educational eco-trips that seek to teach people about these majestic mammals. On-board naturalists share knowledge about the whales and other marine life, and the ecology and natural history of Cape Cod. The whale sightings are also tracked, helping scientists to identify more than 1,300 humpback visitors since 1975.
Whales are almost always seen on these cruises, especially humpbacks, but also finbacks, minke, and even the very rare right whale, whose worldwide population is estimated at less than three hundred. In addition, cruise goers are also often treated to sights of harbor seals, Atlantic white-sided dolphins, porpoises and a wide variety of birds.
The tours, which run from three to four hours, are an activity that any of Provincetown’s many different visitors would enjoy. Excitement always runs high, as the humpbacks often fluke right next to the boats, and the tour-goers run from one side to the other to ooh and ahh at their greatness.
To find out more about the whale watch tours in Provincetown, call 1.800.826.9300 or visit www.whalewatch.com.
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