Pay for the whales, stay for the dolphins
By RICHARD DEGENER
Staff Writer, 609-463-6711
Published: Sunday, April 13, 2008
DELAWARE BAY - It isn't easy finding whales.They may be the biggest animals on earth, but the ocean is bigger - and that makes Capt. Jeff Stewart's job one of the toughest on earth. He guarantees his customers a marine mammal, and likes to deliver the largest cetacean of them all, but even in this high-tech electronic world, nobody has invented a whalefinder.Stewart, owner of the 110-foot Cape May Whale Watcher, has been working on excursion boats since 1973, when he was 18, and he has learned to stay on the radio in case another set of eyes out there has spotted whales."Two whales were seen at Brown Shoal yesterday. Once I get past Cape May Point, I'll raise some of the boys" on the radio, Stewart says Saturday afternoon as he steams along the coast of Cape May.The first few weeks of whale-watching season have been good. Large finback whales have been feeding on herring in the Delaware Bay, and Stewart has delivered for his customers. If customers do not spot a marine mammal, Stewart promises another ride free.
The main point of the tour is whales, but bottlenose dolphins are a good backup plan. The water temperature is just 50 degrees Saturday, and as Stewart navigates past the Cape May Lighthouse and into the Delaware Bay he comments how so far only a few bottlenose dolphins have been seen. They usually arrive when the seals and harbor porpoises head north, he says."49 to 50 degrees is the dolphin cusp. They like 50 degrees or more. Usually it's the third or fourth week in April" when they arrive, Stewart says.He gets on the speaker and tells his customers, about 50 of them, his plan."We'll take a look at the concrete ship, and then we're off to Delaware to see if we can get you a whale," Stewart announces.If the pressure of trying to find a whale is getting to him, Stewart doesn't show it. He's a happy man. It's a family operation. His son Jeff Stewart Jr. takes the helm when he needs a break.Stewart spots a Cape May-Lewes Ferry boat through the overcast and gets on the radio."No sir, haven't seen any today," the boat replies.Stewart instructs his customers, urging them to scan the horizon."You're looking for a spout, just like in the movies," Stewart tells them.Somebody sees a spout in the distance, but no whales turn up.Anglers look for birds diving in the water for bait fish. That usually means bigger game fish are about. This system also works for whales."They eat 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of fish a day. If you find the bait, you'll find the whales," Stewart said.Stewart takes out 50,000 customers per year - and is expanding. Stewart runs from March into December. He recently spent more than $1 million on a second boat, Spirit of Cape May, and has ambitious plans for dinner and cocktail cruises, lighthouse tours and, of course, whale and dolphin trips. The Spirit of Cape May holds 400 people, compared with 280 on the Cape May Whale Watcher, and he also plans to use it to cater to private events."We're going to keep one of the boats active all year," Stewart says.But one problem Stewart faces is fuel. It's not just the $4 per gallon he has to pay for diesel, but fuel prices are keeping mariners off the water. There are few sport fishermen on the bay Saturday, and that means fewer eyes are looking for whales.Suddenly, more birds are seen. The spot, about 12 miles from Cape May, is where whales have been seen feeding in recent weeks. Some of the customers are happy to look at large white seabirds, northern gannets, diving for bait fish, and they have all but forgotten the quest for a whale - it's April and Steward said customers are suffering "houseatosis" and they just want to get outside. But Stewart wants to deliver them a whale."Where would a self-respecting whale be on a gray, cloudy day?" he mutters.Captain Dave Githens see a harbor seal that creates some excitement. The seal looks as interested in the boat as the people are in it."Did you see the seal? He looked right at me," Brandon Schramm, 13, of Ontario, tells his brother Cody, 11."At least we've seen something. It's better than nothing," Cody replies.It can be a tough crowd on whale watching boats, and children can be the toughest of all, although Brandon sets his younger brother straight."You've seen seals in the zoo, that's about it. It's the first time in the ocean," Brandon says.It actually is only the second time the boys were on the ocean, Brandon says later, the first being a fishing trip Friday. It's about to get a lot better. Stewart, on a hunch, heads back toward dolphin territory on the New Jersey side, and he hits pay dirt.At first just two fins are seen. Then 10 dolphin break the surface. Pretty soon Capt. Githens is estimating the pod at 75 to 100."Right here, I see it, I see it. Right here," Patricia Loughran, 10, of Ireland, exclaims as she snaps a picture with a disposable camera."There's four," Cody Schramm says."There's six," older brother Brandon says, one-upping him.Nature one-ups Brandon as 10 jump out of the water."Holy " is all Brandon can get out."I see a baby," Loughran says, pointing to a calf swimming by its mother's side.Stewart said it's one of the earliest calves he has seen in the Delaware. Githens gets on the speaker and explains dolphin biology. Stewart hits the throttle just as he explains how dolphins will ride in a boat's wake."Dolphins are playful. They sometimes surf behind the boat," Githens says.As if on cue, the dolphins follow the boat, leaping in the wake, as Stewart heads back to the Cape May Canal."This is awesome. This is just as good as whale watching," Brandon says.To e-mail Richard Degener at The Press:RDegener@pressofac.com
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