Stellwagen Bank

When an individual talks about the waters off Massachusetts, your mind does not think of a vibrant body of water full of life. This is exactly what happened while on an expedition in Darwin and Wolf in the Galapagos while talking with professional underwater photographer and conservationist Keith Ellenbogen while he was working with Acadia to document the expedition. From this discussion an expedition to explore these waters and to support the work he does to promote the need for further awareness of the abundance of life occurring during the summer months. We set out from Newport Rhode Islands and sailed out past Nantucket and Cape Code spending the next four days offshore witnessing a marvel of giants. From Sunfish (MolaMola) to large pods of dolphins, fin whales, pilot, and minki's, however it was the hundreds of humpbacks that stole the show. Keith's work with Space to Sea, A partnership of institutes to expand the knowledge of the areas allowed us the privilege to navigate these waters and get closer to these animals. At this time of year the whales migrate to the waters off Massachusetts to gorge due to the astonishing amounts of food available. However, we never expected to witness the volume of humpbacks that we did, with the unique bubble feeding and tale slapping behaviors in this area it is easy to spot the next area these animals will come into view, and with up to 12 per bubble feeding patch and with up to 18 active bubbling areas insight at a time we were surrounded in a magical and overwhelming spectacle of nature. It is paramount that work like this occurs to allow those living in cities like Boston, who are not aware of the life on their doorstep to witness its presence and educate themselves on the environment that is slowly disappearing due to many factors