Here there be whales

ST. THOMAS - A group of eager whale-watchers were treated to a special show put on by Mother Nature on Sunday when a large humpback whale frolicked around their boat for 45 minutes.

Every year, the Environmental Association of St. Thomas-St. John hosts a series of whale watches in February and March.

While the large creatures are unpredictable and often elusive, the 29 people on board the 50-foot catamaran KeKoa were able to get up close and personal to a humpback whale that was almost as long as the boat.

Jason Budsan, president of EAST, was on the whale-watching trip and said it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"It truly was, it was an absolutely moving experience," Budsan said. "That whale was just a show-off, there's no other way to describe it. It was just a camera hog. We just stood there in amazement and awe."

The group had been sailing for about two hours before Kekoa Captain Ryan Whitbeck spotted a small pod of whales several miles away, just off the St. John coast near Ram's Head.

Whitbeck said he saw the whales breaching, and, afraid to scare them off, the crew bagged the sails and turned off the engine.

The whales came closer to investigate. There were three, a mother and calf and a third whale that guides said likely was another female, which was a "midwife."

While the mother and calf moved on, the third whale swam right up to the catamaran, diving under the boat, rolling over and spouting air out of its blowhole.

"We've always seen them at some sort of a distance, but this whale just wanted to be with us," Budsan said. "It just stayed for over 45 minutes."

After about a half-hour of watching the whale, Whitbeck jumped into the dinghy to get even closer. He took some underwater pictures, although the whale was so close, the pictures did not come out very well, he said. People witnessing the event were tearing up, hugging each other and taking pictures, Budsan said.

Slowly, as the boat drifted west slightly, the whale moved away from the onlookers.

"We said come back next week, bring your friends," Budsan said, jokingly.

Whitbeck said it will be hard to top Sunday's whale watch, but he will do his best to seek out the big mammals.

Caribbean waters provide feeding and calving grounds for about 30 species of cetaceans - whales and dolphins.

The humpback whale spends the summer feeding in cold northern waters and then migrates to the Caribbean in the winter and spring to breed and give birth to calves. The species typically migrates up to 15,500 miles every year.

Humpback whales average 35 feet to 50 feet in length and weigh about 79,000 pounds. They have long white flippers - up to 15 feet long - and the knobs on their heads and chins. Mothers and calves often are seen from December to April.

Around the Virgin Islands, people can see humpback, pilot, orca and sperm whales, along with a number of dolphins.

- Contact reporter Aldeth Lewin at 774-7882 ext. 311 or e-mail alewin@dailynews.vi.See the whales

The whale watching excursion was organized by EAST and it is one of the group's major fundraising events for the year. The local nonprofit has two more trips scheduled, Sunday and March 6.

Tickets are $55 for members and $65 for non-members and can be purchased at Dockside Bookstore, Barefoot Buddha Cafe and East End Secretarial Services in Red Hook Plaza.

The boat departs from the ferry terminal in Red Hook dock at 8:30 a.m. and returns at 3:30 p.m.

Call 774-1837 or 777-7190 for more information.

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