Saturday, July 16 Atlantic Queen Trip

Harbor Seal

What a gorgeous day on the ocean!  It was a warm, sunny day with calm seas and multiple species.
We started off with some looks at a minke whale, and then saw a harbor seal peeking at us!

Harbor seal - one difference between seals and sea lions is that sea lions have ear flaps, but seals do not.  The  hole behind this seal's eye is its ear!

We continued on to spend some time with Quote's 2008 calf (yep, I spoke a little too  quickly on my ID today!), a 3-year old whale just recently seen for the first time this season. Another humpback was also in the area. Quote's 2008 calf gave us great looks at its flukes!

Quote's 2008 Calf

What was not pleasant was the private boater who continued to run his engine while this humpback was dangerously close to his boat, and continued following the whale well within the recommended 100-foot viewing distance, violating (hopefully unknowingly) Whale Watching Guidelines.

Then we got some quick looks at a fin whale and moved on for a look at another humpback - Hornbill, who was first sighted in 1977!

Fin Whale

Many passengers mentioned a highlight was Hornbill's perfect dive as we left the area!

Thanks to everyone who joined us today, including the folks from the Seacoast Science Center and Portsmouth Housing Authority. And congratulations to our raffle winner - enjoy your adoption of Owl!

Footnote: To the passenger who was asking me about the word "gam"  (sorry I didn't get your name) - just Googled it and here's what I found - so it is a pod of whales.  Not a word we use every day, obviously!:

gam/gam/Noun

1. A leg, esp. in reference to the shapeliness of a woman's leg.

2. A school of whales, porpoises, or dolphins. 

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