A Cape Cod photographer captures the impressive beauty of North Atlantic humpback whales.
by Benjamin Forrester and Kali Palmer
Photographs by Benjamin Forrester
Cape Cod is home to one of the fastest warming bodies of water on the planet. This unique environment attracts a variety of whale species, including North Atlantic humpback whales, some of the most abundant species in these waters. Their distinctive behavior of arching their backs and showcasing their beautiful tails makes them a whale-watching favorite.
Each humpback tail is unique—akin to human fingerprints—enabling researchers to identify individual whales via fluke identification. During the 1970s, Salt was the first whale added to the population catalog. Named by a fisherman from Provincetown, she is a female with white features and mother to 15 children, 17 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. She is still alive today and was last seen in May 2024.
Salt’s loyalty to Cape Cod waters is known as site fidelity. Photo identification and site fidelity allow for tracking without the need for tags. The humpback whales that religiously spend their summers in the Gulf of Maine are some of the best-studied humpbacks globally.
During the summer, humpbacks focus on feeding. Working alone or with other whales, they use nets of bubbles to corral small schooling fish. New mothers teach their calves the ways of the ocean while nourishing themselves to support their young and increase energy stores. As fall approaches, the whales prepare for migration. They will not eat for up to six months, relying on the blubber reserves built up over summer.
During the winter, the North Atlantic humpbacks migrate thousands of miles to the Caribbean. There, new mothers give birth in the safe, warm, and shallow waters off Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic. Some believe female whales display rowdy behavior to attract male attention. Male whales engage in acrobatics and battles for their female mates. As the waters warm, they head back north, continuing their annual cycle.
Over the summer of 2023, photographer Ben Forrester worked with Hyannis Whale Watch Cruises out of Barnstable Harbor to capture videos of whales for passengers. He befriended Kali Palmer, a naturalist who later invited him to Turks and Caicos to photograph the same humpback whales spotted off Cape Cod.
This duo joined a group of whale enthusiasts, including Andrea Spence, a naturalist with Dolphin Fleet and previous colleague of Palmer’s. A shared love of humpbacks drove this self-funded trip—aka “whale nerd vacation.” The group chartered boats with Katharine Hart, cofounder of the Turks and Caicos Islands Whale Project and owner of Deep Blue Charters on Grand Turk, and spent a week searching for whales.
Out on the water, the group scanned the horizon, looking for blows and body parts. One primary goal was to swim with whales, photograph them, and hear the males sing. Over the next few days, their dreams came to fruition. Nothing prepared them for the astonishing insignificance felt while swimming alongside these gentle giants. Watching the tails rise and fall rhythmically as the massive mammals swam gracefully through the water left them in wonder.
For the crew, seeing a new mom cradle her baby with her 15-foot pectoral fin generated an intimate parallel to human relationships. Feeling the low “whoops” of a mother and calf passing beneath was unforgettable. Another highlight was listening to a male’s haunting song through a hydrophone, an underwater microphone.
An understanding of the impact humans have on these creatures began to materialize during their days at sea. Every day, whales navigate underwater forests of fishing gear, commercial shipping lanes, and an ocean polluted with plastic and noise. Intimate studies showcase the emotional and social complexity of these majestic creatures, invoking a sense of responsibility and underlining the importance of protecting them and the oceans in which they reside.
A portion of proceeds from Ben Forrester’s print store is donated to local wildlife conservation and whale disentanglement here on Cape Cod. To order, visit benforresterphoto.darkroom.com/collections/wildlife.