Whales: Signs of Spring
Just beyond the colorful community of Provincetown, Massachusetts and nestled near the tip of Race Point is Herring Cove Beach. As part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, Herring Cove is part of an ever-changing collage of unique ecosystems that includes tidal wetlands, marine, terrestrial and fresh-water habitats.
This beach is on the more safely swim-able side of the Cape, but is known for some public nudity to the left end of its shore. Families would be advised to steer themselves to the right.
We visited on a (very!) windy day in late March, hoping to spot the first whales of the season. I readily understood the dedication of volunteers who lodged themselves into deserted sandy bluffs and trained their binoculars onto the ocean waters. Spotting a whale, whether as a single fin, a full breach or as a distant spout of water, is a unique thrill. The steady migration of these ocean mammals to cooler waters is a sign of seasonal warming, and the three distinct spouts of water we spied that afternoon were a sure sign of spring’s welcome approach.
Whale watching cruises are a popular way to observe whale behaviors such as breaching (a full body leap up, out and back into the ocean), spyhopping (a whale’s head appearing above water) and sounding (a whale dive with tail flip). Daily cruises begin this month from Boston Harbor and multiple locations on the Cape as well as from other Massachusetts shore towns. Whale species include the enormous humpbacks and finback whales which will make for some spectacular splashes. Few sights compare to watching a bus-sized mammal leap up beside your boat and plunge back into the depths beneath!
Hotels in the Boston Harbor area are convenient to ferries and whale watch cruises. Splurge with a stay at the luxurious Four Seasons Boston or Boston Harbor Hotel and enjoy splendid waterfront views.
