The coast of Cape Cod is a popular gathering area for great white sharks, and now Chatham Bars Inn is offering guests four ways to satisfy their curiosity regarding the deadly predators.
Presented through a partnership with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, the new offerings are:
- Research Trips ($2,500 for two): Guests can join scientists and crew on a research vessel for a full day off of Chatham. Working with a spotter plane, guests will observe the AWSC research team track, photograph and possibly apply a research tag to a shark. While sightings cannot be guaranteed, the odds of a first-hand encounter are favorable: last season 68 white sharks were identified and catalogued and 18 sharks tagged. Excursions are available by special arrangement on Mondays and Thursdays from August through October 2015. Each trip can accommodate two guests and is $2,500 per couple, made via tax-deductible donation to the AWSC. Donations are non-refundable, weather permitting, and participants must be at least 18 years old.
- Receiver Excursions ($50 per person): Starting in July, during a one-hour morning charter aboard Chatham Bars Inn’s private boat, “Bartender,” a member of the AWSC will bring guests to the sandbars where grey seals haul out, looking for evidence of predation. Next they will cruise to the Chatham Lighthouse to view “shark cove” and bring up a shark receiver for analysis (which tracks where tagged white sharks have been). Receiver excursions are $50 per person, available on Monday and Wednesday each week, and can accommodate up to 17 guests. Chatham Bars Inn donates net profits to the AWSC.
- Research Debriefs (complimentary): Research vessels dock at the resort, making Chatham Bars Inn’s The Beach House a choice spot to hear tales from the sea. Each Monday and Thursday from approximately 2-3 p.m., guests can connect with scientists and their research crew as they unload to hear about the day’s adventure.
- Group Lectures: The AWSC offers presentations based on its important work. Lectures by Dr. Greg Skomal, senior marine fisheries scientist for Massachusetts Marine Fisheries, and Cynthia Wigren, president and co-founder of AWSC, focus on new insights into the ecology of the white shark, and how awareness inspires conservation.