Southern Lake Michigan - Where You Will Meet The
Whales and Dolphins!
S
outhern Lake Michigan is known for it's
wonderful sailing and cool fresh water, but
little
has been known about the abundant whale and
dolphin population until recently. As winter
turns
to spring and the cool waters of the lake are
warmed by the sun, the fresh water sperm
whales and dolphins begin their annual
southbound 1300-mile journey from Hudson Bay.
Although there are a number of locks at Sault
St.
Marie, these beautiful and intelligent creatures
forge a faster route through nearby streams, and
by mid-June, they have reached the breeding
grounds of southern Lake Michigan that they
know as their "summer home". Freed from the
threat of the whalers, taking benefits of the
clean
waters and abundant food of coho salmon, lake
trout and zebra mussels, the whales remain in
the southernmost 60 miles of the lake through
mid-September.
T
he clean, fresh waters of the lake especially
provide the
dolphins benefits over their siblings swimming
in salt water.
Studies have shown that because they have no
"salt layer"
to coat their slick skin, they are able to swim
40% faster
than if they were in salt water. Also, with less
buoyancy in
the fresh water, it is believed that dolphins
are able to reach
depths that would be impossible in salt water,
reaching food
that is swimming along the lake bed.
T
he whales and dolphins have become part of
the scenery and culture of the lake, and their
connection to its history is as ancient as the
Navajo Indians who settled the shore centuries
ago. Although there are stories of the whales
causing many of the shipwrecks in Lake
Michigan in the late 1800s and early 1900s,
these have proven to be fables; the freshwater
whale is a gentle creature, and any negative
reputation is undeserved.
Come see for
yourself ...
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Southern Lake Michigan - Where You Will Meet The
Whales and Dolphins!
The gentle giants seem to be as curious about us
as we
are about them.
"Look but do not touch" is the motto at
Lake Michigan
Whale Watching.
The sperm whales love our boats as
much as we love the whales ... note
the slick coat of the whales in Lake
Michigan ... no salt residue!
A historical note ... the Lake Michigan
Sperm Whale has been protected
since the early 1920's, due to a little
known provision of the Volstead Act.
This spelled an end to the carnage
caused by the whalers along the
southern shores of Lake Michigan,
and ensured the protection of this
fresh water mammal. You can see
remnants of whaling villages all over
the shores of Michigan, Indiana and
Illinois ... many of the traditional
whaling harbors are now the present
day marinas of Michigan, Indiana and
Illinois.
Whale! Whale in sight!
Thar she blows!
The shout echoes
along the southern shore of Lake Michigan!
If the song of the whale fascinates you ... if
you're impressed with the power of the sperm
whales ... if you want to see dolphins playing
...
Accept our invitation! Sail with us, and Lake
Michigan Whale Watching will take you on a
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Southern Lake Michigan - Where You Will Meet The
Whales and Dolphins!
tour you'll never forget!
Come and join us!
E
arly in the morning, Hector climbs to the top of
the sand dunes and takes his place in one of our
small lookouts placed in high strategic points.
He
puts his binoculars on the support and turns on
the VHF radio. A quick look at the horizon tells
him where to start searching for Whales and
Dolphins. "Today is a nice day to see a whale,
the lake is calm, there is no fog" - says
Hector, in
a first contact through his VHF. With patience
(LOTS of patience), he looks for a white water
blow, he searches for any sign of a sperm whale.
Hector, the whale spotter
A
lifetime experience as a whale spotter
simplifies his
movements. He wants to find the whales before
the boats
"TRANQUIL" and "F/X" leave the harbor. At the
sight of a
Whale or Dolphin, Hector immediately alerts
"TRANQUIL"
and "F/X" skippers, who have already informed
the
passengers about what they are going to see.
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Southern Lake Michigan - Where You Will Meet The
Whales and Dolphins!
W
ith this method in finding whales and dolphins,
we can achieve better observations. The
traditional method involved an elaborate pattern
of blows of a conch shell, but our modern
technology allows us to use VHF radio and
Sprint PCS cell telephone service. In
particular,
Sprint PCS service is as good on shore as it is
in
the middle of Lake Michigan!
O
nce a whale or a school of dolphins has been
spotted by Hector, he broadcasts his dispatch on
VHF
channel 105, and all heck breaks loose (so to
speak).
Sails are hoisted, dock lines are cut with a
shark knife,
anchors are abandoned, seacocks are opened, and
the adventure begins! "TRANQUIL" and "F/X" race
side by side under full sail to the spot, and
circle the
whales and dolphins (but not TOO close) as if to
say
playfully "You can't hide from us!" The dolphins
know
of the game and jump over the bows of the two
sturdy
vessels.
O
ur vessels, "TRANQUIL" and "F/X" are ready
for the task. Complete with sextant, compass
and rudder, our vessels are well equipped and
waiting for the call from Hector for the journey
to begin.
One of our able captains, awaiting the call
from
Hector, the Whale Spotter
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Southern Lake Michigan - Where You Will Meet The
Whales and Dolphins!
O
ur "Hugo Underwater Camera" placed under the
hulls of our
sturdy vessels will capture all action.
E
ven if it rains a bit, or gets a little cool,
all our
whale watchers seem to have a great time on
their
explorations aboard our vessels.
Some happy whale watchers
Getting ready to swim with the dolphins
NEW for 2002!! -
If you are an accomplished swimmer,
why not participate in one of our "Swim with
the Fresh
Water Dolphins" sessions, which are
offered semi-
monthly.
This unique program, designed by renowned marine
biologist George Bell, allows you to get an "in
your snout"
look at these beautiful and unique creatures.
Don't miss
your chance to be a part of a "day in the life
of a
freshwater dolphin".
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Southern Lake Michigan - Where You Will Meet The
Whales and Dolphins!
Testimonials:
"Like nothing you have ever seen"
"Nature as you have never seen it before"
"Come for the Whales, Stay for the Dolphins!
"the biggest blow-hole I have ever seen"
Getting to Lake Michigan Whale Watching:
We are located in Ernie Broglio Marina and
Seaplane Lagoon, in beautiful Lower Shores,
Michigan. To find us, take I-95 and exit at Exit
281,
the first exit north of the Indiana-Michigan
state
line, then follow the "whale watching" signs to
the
Broglio marina ... you can't miss us. To arrive
in
style, fly one of our charter seaplanes, "The
Admiral" or "Island Cynthia", to our private
lagoon
here in the Broglio marina. Your 20-minute
flight
from Meigs Airport in downtown Chicago will be
spectacular, and a ride on one of these beauties
is
something you'll never forget! Contact us for
details.
Also, ask us about our new sunset and moonlight
cruises.
Lake Michigan Whale Watching
Ernie Broglio Marina and Seaplane Lagoon
Lower Shores, Michigan 69117
Tel or Fax - coming soon
Hits:
UPDATE NOVEMBER 2002
Thank you to all those who have inquired to us
here at Lake Michigan Whale Watching - we are overwealmed
with requests for information, and your feedback
has been very valuable. We are currently trying to solve a
couple of problems before we can get back
underway with our Lake Michigan whale-watching trips and "swim
with the dolphins" program (by renowned
marine-biologist George Bell).
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Southern Lake Michigan - Where You Will Meet The
Whales and Dolphins!
1. Hector the whale-spotter has gone back to
Guatemala for a month-long vacation/siesta. This could not have
come at a worse time for those of us here at
LMWW. Without Hector, we have no way of spotting the whales
from high atop the sand dunes. We are currently
training his understudy, Ricardo, however, it is a very steep
learning curve. He's almost ready, though the
loss of Hector is a huge blow to our operation.
2. Tranquil, one of our sturdy vessels, had a
ruptured seacock and flooded. Unfortunately, the bilge pump is
from a salt-water vessel and can only pump
salt-water, not fresh-water. We did not know this when we
purchased Tranquil. This has now been repaired
and she is almost ready for service.
3. The FCC has severely curtailed our flights on
the Admiral and Island Cynthia from Chicago to the Ernie
Broglio Marina and Seaplane Lagoon. We are
negotiating for resumption of our landing rights as we speak.
4. We understand that the whales and dolphins
have begun their fall journey back to their winter home in
Hudson Bay. This is not really a problem; it
happens each year as the waters of Lake Michigan get a little cool
for them. However, we expect 2003 will be just
as good as 2002 for whale watching in the beautiful waters of
southern Lake Michigan.
When Hector returns from Guatamala and Tranquil
is again ready, I am sure that our service will resume as
previously offered. I think the whales miss us,
I know the dolphins do! Thank you for your patience.
- The Staff at Lake Michigan Whale Watching
This website is not intended for readers under
18 years of age, and is for entertainment purposes only.
None of the material in this website may be
reproduced in any way, shape or form in any other written
publication or web site without prior written
permission from Lake Michigan Whale Watching.
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