Whale Ballet turns out to be true theatre
Posted by Judith Scott 30 July 2010
Normal, normal, normal
It was a normal morning on a normal four hour whale watch leaving from Gloucester, Massachusetts
with Cape Ann Whale Watch. We headed out to Stellwagen Bank, a National Marine Sanctuary in US waters due to the fact it is a feeding ground for many birds, fish and mammals, including Humpback, Minke and Fin whales. 
‘Close to boat’
The favourite whale species to watch out there is the Humpback, due to its aerobatic displays and propensity to occasionally get curious about us. When a whale approaches it is the most amazing experience.
"This is the only time I have ever known the captain
to completely shut the engines off"
It really has the ability to change your life forever. The trip no longer becomes a whale watch, but a mutual watch, as two intelligent species take an obvious interest in each other. Our crew define such encounters as ‘close to boat’.
All rise for the whale ballet
On this particular day in 2001 we headed out to the bank and came across two Humpbacks in close association. After a short time they both approached the whale watch boat and gave us a display that we could only describe at the time as 'whale ballet'. I have never seen ‘close to boat’ like this before or since. At times both whales were spy hopping, with their pectoral fins stretched out, slowly doing a pirouette in the water. It was just incredible behaviour. The two whales 'danced' with us for the whole trip, rolling around, looking up at us with their grapefruit-sized eyes and we just floated in the water with the engines off. This is the only time I have ever known the captain to completely shut the engines off while out there. Even after over 6000 whale watches, he was clearly thrilled!
The crowd were on their feet
As well as watching the whales it was fascinating to watch the reaction of the passengers. Some people clapped, others cried, people were laughing and talking to strangers, everyone onboard aware that they were sharing one of the most spectacular sights in nature. And the whales just continued their interaction with us without appearing to lose interest at all. Why they were so fascinated by this large white object in their midst that day is anyone's guess. I am just very pleased that I was out there the day that these two individuals decided to watch us as much as we watched them.
Trip of a lifetime?
Sadly, eventually we had to leave to get back in time for our afternoon whale watch and we were forced to reverse very slowly away from the area with the whales still interacting with the bow of the boat. I will always remember the naturalist on board the boat that day as they just gave up talking and went down to join the other passengers. It was truly a life changing experience for so many people onboard that day. I will never forget it.
More on the dancing whales
The Humpback Whales that feed in this area are part of the Gulf of Maine population and individuals can be recognised by the patterns on the undersides of their tails. The two whales watched that day were named Cajun, a female who at the time was three years old, and Coral, a large male who was born in 1988. I have seen Cajun many times since this encounter and she has never displayed this behaviour again when I have seen her. She is now a mum and showed up again on Stellwagen Bank this year with her second calf.
About the author
Judith Scott is a very keen whale watcher, having been on over 500 whale watch trips all over the world. Having wanted to work with whales since age 5, she achieved this dream, working as a whale watch naturalist in the USA, Australia, and Norway. She has also worked on research projects studying Sperm, Humpback, Blue and Grey Whales. Now, sadly, she has to make do with regular whale watching holidays as unfortunately a 9-5 job became a necessity!
