How Many Whales do you Need?

A Cape Cod Adventure

Photo by Andrew Bain on Unsplash

Whale!

That one word comes to mind when I think of the months I spent on Cape Cod, but there was much more to my time there than the occasional whale sighting. From September to May, I lived and worked in an environment foreign to myself.

I read The Outermost House by Henri Beston and learned of the year he lived on the outer beach in a cabin built to his specifications. It included a window with a seaward view. He met the men who patrolled the beach, watching for shipwrecks, and prepared to sound the alarm that initiated a rescue.  I saw them portrayed in a movie and reenactments.

What I learned about the wind, waves, tides, and wildlife from Beston’s book was reinforced by learning from those elements themselves and from the local people I met. One owned a store devoted to bird watching. Others were park rangers at Cape Cod National Seashore. Still others were simply residents.

I learned of whales from the naturalists on the whale watch boats. While there, I saw Humpbacks, Finbacks, and Northern Right Whales from ships. I sighted a Finback Whale on my first whale watch, but it quickly exited. Their speed has earned them the name, greyhounds of the sea.

I saw three Northern Right Whales on that cruise. They comprised one percent of the three hundred remaining members of their species. Though the numbers have since increased to four hundred and fifty, they may never return to a population the size of the thousands seen before the days of whaling.

After paying for my first whale watch cruise, I realized that my small salary would not allow frequent repetition of that pleasure, but that increased the enjoyment. I later decided I could afford a second trip. When I arrived at the ticket counter, the ship’s naturalist recognized me and told the ticket agent to waive my fee as a professional courtesy. On that trip, I saw my first Humpback whale which splashed the passengers repeatedly with its tail.

I would later see four Humpbacks from shore, migrating to the Southeast. In late winter, I would see one in a deep lagoon as dolphins played nearby and seals rested on the beach.

I would also see a tragic stranding of Pilot Whales. Rescuers worked their hearts out keeping them off the shore only to see them swim back and strand again. One calf was saved to be released with a pod of Pilot Whales near Nantucket.  

 I once told some friends of my joy in seeing whales on Cape Cod and got a vocal response from one man in the group. He said he had been on a Cape Cod whale watch, which was a ripoff. “{ saw ONE WHALE.”

Remembering that incident, I wished I had congratulated him on seeing a whale and pointed out that many people live their lives and never see a whale. Now, I am glad I did not say such words, That man is a friend and I hope he is a forgiving person if he happens to read this edition of Crane’s Eye View.

My experience of whales resulted from living on Cape Cod for several months. I could not have seen what I saw or learned what I learned on a short vacation or a stay of a few weeks.

How long does it take to know a place? For those who say a lifetime, my knowledge of Cape Cod is incomplete, as is my knowledge of many places. Barry Lopez addresses this in his essay “Learning to See,” and in many of his books. Follow his guidelines, and very few places will be disappointing.   

So, how many whales do you need? Seeing even one can be costly in time or money, and occasionally both. I spent most of a year on Cape Cod and had several adventures, some of which involved whales. Some people spend a small fortune to take a trip to Scammon’s lagoon on the Pacific coast of the Baja Peninsula. They may see hundreds of wintering Gray Whales.

How many whales do you need, and what price are you willing to pay?