Sharkwatch

Hello, Oceanoblographers!

Last weekend, I went on a shark and whale watch hosted by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) and the Whales and Dolphins Conservation (WDC). The motto of the AWSC is 'awareness inspires conservation", and the WDC's motto is 'a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free.' Together the two organizations raised $18,000, which will be used to fund their education and research programs. Greg Skomal, the leading shark scientist in Massachusettes, went out on this trip the weekend before us, and he commented "To actually show these folks White Sharks and to see their reaction... I'm watching them!"

We arrived at the dock in Plymouth MA, at 7:30 am, and boarded the Son IV, well-equipped to spend the day out at sea. The anticipation level was high as we set out to sea! The fog made it hard to see where the sea met the sky, but as the day progressed, the fog burned off, leaving us with a beautiful, sunny day. As we travelled out to the cape, and around Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod, and around to the northeastern coast, we kept our eyes peeled as we listened to Wayne Davis' communications with the captain.

We saw many interesting things, including humpback whales, finback whales, minke whales, great white sharks, lots of cool birds, and even a mola mola- one of the weirdest things I have ever seen in the ocean. I also had a chance to talk to several scientists, naturalists and marine biologists, as well as the founders of the AWSC. Even though I had to wake up at the crack of dawn, it was totally worth it!

I learned so much about all the animals that we saw, and I have collected so many facts that I would like to share with you, that I have decided to do three separate posts- the sharks, the mola mola, and the whales. Stay tuned for the sharks... dun dun!