Unlike the whalers of Nantucket who sailed thousands of miles to find whales, residents and visitors to Petersburg are extremely fortunate to have world-class whale watching practically at our doorstep. Luckily we can now hunt them with a camera and binoculars rather than shooting them with a harpoon. But how can you stay safe – and legal – while spending time on the water among these magnificent 40-ton creatures?
Hi, I’m Barry Bracken with the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center.
Federal regulations require you to stay at least 100 yards from a whale and to avoid placing your vessel in the path of an oncoming whale, which would cause them to surface within 100 yards of your vessel. You should not pin a whale between your boat and shore even if you are the required distance away or position your boat between a female and its calf. Besides being unethical and illegal, these activities might be dangerous. Other guidelines suggest that you keep your engine running so the whales will know where you are at all times. These simple common sense rules are designed to protect the whales and to keep you safe.
It is best to reduce speed and approach slowly when you first observe whale activity. A slow approach will give you time to determine the whales’ behavior. How many whales are in the area? Are they spread out or are they concentrated? Are they moving in a certain direction or feeding in one general area? How long are the dives? Are the whales bubble-net feeding, feeding individually, or feeding in smaller groups?
Being able to recognize the different feeding strategies will increase your whale watching enjoyment. A good depth sounder on board will show the depth of the food layer. This can help you determine how long the whales will stay submerged. For deeper dives the whales will stay submerged longer, but will also stay on the surface longer and will take more breaths to oxygenate their body before the next dive. As you observe the whales you will notice that the first blow as they surface is very explosive.
By knowing the dive interval and being able to recognize the pre-diving blow you can have your camera ready for that perfect fluke photo. All of this information will help you to maximize your whale watching experience.
Happy whale watching. Stay safe, stay legal, leave the harpoons in the museum, and most of all enjoy this incredible activity that our area has to offer.
