Don't be misled, not all whale watches are alike!

Seeing whales is just part of the fun

Dolphin fleet Whale Watches are unique. Unlike many other whale watches our trips offers a wide spectrum of educational tools that go beyond the "average whale watch". All trips are designed to enhance our awareness of whales, other marine life and the marine habitat that surrounds us. Our goal is to have each passenger depart our vessels with a greater understanding and appreciation of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and the wealth of life it supports. This page will depict some of the activities we bring to a voyage aboard our vessel. We make each trip fun and educational for passengers of all ages.

The Dolphin VI is one of three vessels that departs from Provincetown harbor to the Sanctuary. Each vessel has a heated cabin for those cool days in the spring and fall months assuring comfort for each trip.Upon boarding our vessels passengers are handed a field guide detailing the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and the marine life you may encounter.This guide will also explain the important role The Dolphin Fleet had in developing and being the first whale watching excursion on the east-coast of the United States.

The Dolphin VII offers the same comforts as the Dolphin VI. During each trip all three vessels are in communication, and at times may travel to different locations in search of whales and other marine life. Being a fleet this constant communication and ability to broaden our search gives us an advantage of finding the best whale behavior and other species of marine life. Covering larger areas of the sanctuary and surrounding waters to find the most productive areas is an essential part of a successful whale watch.

The Dolphin VIII, the newest vessel of the fleet, is slightly larger than the VI and VII. It is a perfect vessel for groups of 150 people or more as it was designed and built to comfortably carry larger groups. Each of the three vessels have clean snack bars that serve full breakfast and lunch. The vessels are also licensed to sell alcoholic beverages. Items such as film and souvenirs may also be purchased on-board . Each vessel has two restrooms that are kept clean at all times.

As the vessel departs Provincetown harbor, one of our highly trained naturalists will give a presentation about the whales we may see,their behavior, and some of the other marine life common to the area. Posters and other materials are used to further illustrate the various whale species, behaviors, and interesting facts on the biology and geology of the area.

There are many hands-on displays for our passengers to view and touch- such as baleen from right and humpback whales, sperm whale teeth, and whale bone. These bring a new level of understanding to many of our first time passengers of how these magnificent animals adapt and survive

Oftentimes, we see large numbers of birds during our trips, such as these northern gannets diving into the water after their prey. Many of the birds we see are pelagic and can only be viewed off-shore by boat. During the 2006 season we began a new research program with the Audubon group at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. One of the Audubon experts conducted weekly observations and bird species counts, a program we designed in collaboration with Audubon Many enthusiastic bird watchers sailed with us on these selective trips. And no two trips ever are alike! It keeps the trips interesting and our anticipation growing. We plan on continuing these special trips in the future. If interested, be sure to inquire for dates and times .

Believe it or not we may even stop to see a fish or two. This is a photo of a sunfish or Mola mola, a species that eats the jellyfish found in our waters. The Sanctuary is a rich environment that attracts and supports both residents and transient marine life. Other larger species we might see include basking sharks, blue sharks and the giant blue fin tuna.

One of our favorite whales sighted throughout the year is the humpback. Our naturalists conduct research on the whales seen, photographing each whale to be identified and cataloged yearly. Many of the humpback whales we see yearly return with new born calves. This is exciting for us as well as the passengers.The calf's are often curious and will investigate the boats while the mother is busy feeding, giving us up close and a personal experience with the whales.We can then get photos of the new whale for our research. We have a catalog of known humpback whales on board our vessels for reference, as well as on-line to be viewed by our passengers. It is fun and educational for all to find a whale they have see or to learn about a whale’s family tree.

Once this scientific information put into our database it is then openly shared with other interested scientists, schools and organizations. For the school groups that go out with us, we offer a copy of the data collected on their trip. We feel this is an important learning tool that extends the whale watch experience to the classroom. A simple request from the school group for the trip data is all that is needed.

Humpback whales are not the only species sighted. Some of the others include:

• Finback whale
• Minke whale
• Sei whale
• Pilot whale
• Dolphins & Porpoise

You never know what might be seen on the next trip!

During our trip we often will drop a plankton net into the water. With this large, fine meshed net we can collect many microscopic species of marine plankton, the building block of the food chain for the sanctuary. Once dropped and towed for a few minutes, samples are collected and put out for display under magnifiers. This brings a new aspect of the marine waters we visit to the trip. It is possible to collect organisms such as jellyfish and tenophores, zooplankton, and other life forms overlooked when sailing on the ocean.

We want our passengers to see not only the largest marine mammal living in our waters but also to understand why the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and other marine sanctuaries like it are so important to preserve and protect.

If conditions permit and we believe the situation is right we may also deploy a hydophone (underwater microphone) to see if we can hear the sounds of the whales or other noises that may be heard below the surface.

Another fun hands-on activity is our "blubber glove" this experiment gives our passengers an understanding of why the whales need a layer of blubber to survive in the cold ocean waters.

Our cabin houses the educational display case. You can look at the many different science activities here. One of the items is our touch screen display. This is filled with information about whales, birds, conservation efforts and more.

Another activity is the whale sounds. Listen to the many different species of whales and see how each animal has it's own vocalizations. It's interesting for all ages. Listen to the many different humpback sounds or the finback and right whales. Then listen to the sounds of toothed whales. It's amazing how these animals use acoustics to live in the ocean.

Want more activity? There is a chart plotter for you to view. Here you can see where the vessel is at all times, track your position as well as the location of the whales. This is a great educational tool for all. The plotter also has a bathymetrical display showing the contour of the ocean bottom as the vessel travels along. With this display, you will have a better understanding of why the whales and other marine life find Stellwagen Bank, with all its contours, the place to be.