In Search of Whales (Friday, August 15, 2014)

IMG_5175From Provincetown, we head northeast above the tip of Cape Cod to look for whales. There is a place called Stellwagen Bank where the water goes from 200 feet down to about 60. Apparently the whales like to feed here. We see lots of them from a distance but none up close. From there, we head back down past P-town and further down the western Cape Cod coast to Wellfleet, MA. Matt’s brother and family will be on vacation here starting on Saturday and we are looking forward to seeing them.

A 10-foot tide leaves us in Wellfleet mud.

A 10-foot tide leaves us in Wellfleet mud.

I, however, have another reason for wanting to get here. Sharks. I’m simultaneously terrified and endlessly intrigued by them. When I was growing up, I would sometimes go swimming at night by myself during high school and college summers in our pool. I had a fear that there was a secret trap door at the bottom of the deep end of the pool, with a shark lurking below. Waiting. For me. Yes, I know – completely irrational and ridiculous. And yes, you can tease me about it when we next meet (and no, I’m not certain I still don’t believe it. And yes, that was a double negative). It was probably the result of reading Jaws at age 11. Back in Milford, CT, the shop owner had told me about seals and Great White sharks off of Cape Cod.

I Google ‘sharks’ and ‘Cape Cod’ and find what I am looking for: Cape Code Shark Adventures. The website has shark photos with a description of a shark-proof cage tethered to a boat. I imagine hanging out in the ocean while bloody fish carcasses float around, hoping for Great Whites. I haven’t been this excited since the idea for this sailing trip came up. The only thing I hate more than being afraid of something is the actual fear. I tell Matt that I have to do this. Unsure of his reaction, I say the website says it’s 100% safe and they’ve never had any incidents. “Where’s the adventure in that?” he asks.