Interns

I have only ever been able to see skates and rays in aquariums and through photos, but never with my own eyes. While being a Research Intern at the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center I had the amazing opportunity to see my first ever ray, well actually the first hundred rays of my…

Many ancient religions and cultures have drawn extensive inspiration from nature as they’ve progressed. This includes our complexly intelligent friends: dolphins. From the warm islands of Greece to the spanning rivers of India, dolphins have inspired many tales and legends from around the world. In the old Greek culture, dolphins held the role of messengers…

The Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), one of the great majesties of the world under the sea, can be sighted off Cape May, New Jersey. I have had the privilege to see this magnificent creature twice while interning at Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center. The first time I saw this turtle was on…

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (2022), 400 million tons of plastic are produced each year, and of that 400 million tons, 14 million tons end up in our oceans. Now, you may think, “That’s not a big deal, the oceans are huge,” or, “It’s just plastic, how harmful can it be?”…

Garrett Testut is a rising junior at Stockton University, where he studies Marine Science with a concentration in Marine Biology, and a minor in Environmental Science. He is a part of our 2023 season internship team. Originally from Connecticut, Garrett has a passion for animal care and behavior and hopes to work in the animal…

8/12/2022 – Breaching Humpback Whale, CMWWRC Database. Photo by Mackenzie Briggs.   Friday, August 12th, 2022 had started like any normal day interning on the American Star for the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center. I prepared the equipment for a day researching Cape May’s marine life. I had no idea that this day would…

You soak in your last glimpse of the horizon line, then you descend into the turquoise world, toying with your buoyancy until you weigh nothing: you are part of the sea now. Your feet propel you forward and there in front of you lies the silent city and boy is it bustling. Your curiosity mirrors…

As we make our way off the shore of Cape May to look for our larger marine mammals the water becomes increasingly clearer, and this is when it happened!   For the past couple of weeks, the water temperature had been consistently over 70 degrees and more wildlife was being spotted. I had seen tons…

    If you are anything like me, your social media feed may be flooded with the dire state of our oceans. While this fact is rather unsettling, all hope is not lost. In fact, there are three simple lifestyle changes you can make that would have an immediate positive impact on our oceans.  Switch to…

When interning on a whale watching boat, of course the main goal is to find and spot some whales and dolphins. For me, I was always secretly hoping that on our outing we would come across my favorite marine animal, sharks. My wish came true and my favorite day on the boat turned out to…