I went on a whale watch out of Provincetown, Massachusetts in the fall of 2022 brimming with excitement . Observing a humpback whale up close has been a hope of mine since I don’t know when. The captain of the boat had said that they were demonstrating a lot of surface behaviors recently, as they were fattening up before migrating south to the Caribbean for the winter. I knew it in my bones that this was going to be the experience of a lifetime.
The captain brought the boat to a halt so that we could observe a cluster of whales off in the distance deep diving and breaching. I glanced at the starboard side of the boat and to my astonishment, realized that we were right on top of a bubble net. Poised with excitement, I pointed my camera in the middle of the bubble ring knowing what was about to happen. As they surfaced their baleen plates were in full view. I fired my shutter with delight, knowing that this photo was going to be a special one.
Witnessing humpback whales skim-feeding filled me with a sense of awe and wonder and produced in me a profound and deeper appreciation for these magnificent creatures and the curious structures of their mouths. The waters that serve as their feeding grounds deserve the protection that thankfully the National Parks provide.