A Day on the Water with Atlantic White Shark Conservancy!

As the month of October winds down so does another productive season of white shark research headed by Dr. Greg Skomal, Cynthia Wigren and other members of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.  I was able to be crew on one of the last expeditions/amazing adventures of 2017.

A Day on the Water with Atlantic White Shark Conservancy!

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The "Aleutian Dream" and crew from the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy

Under a beautiful/chilly blue sky the “Aleutian Dream” motored out of Chatham Harbor over “the bar” into the Atlantic Ocean… the seas were choppy with large swells near the coastline and water visibility was murky…on board were the boats owners, Pam & John King, Dr. Greg Skomal, Cynthia & Ben Wigren, Megan Winton and myself…I should note they were all dressed in cold weather gear and would stay dry while I was still mostly in summertime fashion and would get & stay wet.

Searching for white sharks would almost be impossible without the aid of a spotter pilot flying up and down the coast in constant radio contact with the boat…Wayne Davis is a seasoned pilot and within minutes he was directing us to head South up the Monomoy coast…as we got nearer to a shark Dr. Skomal would go onto the ship’s pulpit with a long rod and Go Pro camera connected to it and get ready to swipe underwater to get shark video footage…this would happen throughout the day as we encountered roughly 10 white sharks…the images would later be studied as part of the research.

Some of the sharks had been previously tagged and could be identified—there were a few new ones.  We traveled from the Monomoy area North to the Nauset Beach parking area and back… The shark sizes varied from 10 feet to 15 feet…watching them swim next to and under the boat is an unforgettable experience…the banter between Skomal and the crew showed  their fascination, awesomeness and appreciation for each shark…as knowledgeable as they are on white sharks there is still much more to be learned and the expeditions will continue.

For more information please visit www.atlanticwhiteshark.org.     There is also some video from my trip on our  capecod.com  facebook site…Enjoy! 

By Spencer Kennard

As a child, spending summers in North Truro, I thought Cape Cod began at the Wellfleet Drive-In and ended at Provincetown.  As a photographer, I now know that all the Cape towns leading to the canal have their own unique beauty and charm.

Roughly 30 years ago, I had the good fortune to work with the legendary photographer Dick Kelsey and as owner of Kelsey-Kennard have specialized in aerial photography as well as landscape/scenic, portraits, weddings, and photographing events on the Cape, the Islands, and beyond.

Photographs from our Gallery in Chatham are displayed in homes and businesses locally and world-wide.

Besides photography I also enjoy boating/ fishing (fish are usually very safe when I’m out there,) gardening and tennis.  Cape Cod is a very special place and I look forward to sharing my images with you as I travel about.



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