June 9 Granite State

Minimal wind, a clear horizon, and sunny skies always makes a trip towards Jeffreys Ledge that much more enjoyable and such was the case today. We first got some great looks at a Minke whale. With the ocean providing a good swell, but minimal waves, you could watch this whale as it swam right towards us at one point. 

Our first whale of the day (above and below). This Minke whale unfortunately has some scars beyond its dorsal fin (see photo below) reminding us of the dangers that these whales face on a daily basis: human activity. Luckily it is great to know this whale still swims free today
 


After a few looks we decided to head further offshore. We crossed paths with another Minke whale in our travels before ending up with Mogul the Humpback whale. 

Mogul

With reports of this whale on the move (thanks to our friends aboard Captain's Lady III) we knew Mogul had been passing through the area but no one really knows what a wild animal is going to do when. We were lucky enough to spot Mogul out in the distance and quickly realized this whale had apparently decided to change up its behavior. The majority of the time we spent with this whale it was circling around and constantly creating bubble clouds each time it resurfaced after a deeper dive.

Remnant of a bubble cloud

These clouds are a technique Humpback whales use to corral fish and it is quite the fun sighting to witness! A few times we saw signs of so much food below us we could only imagine Mogul was in the act of having some lunch! 

A photo of our fish finder while we were watching Mogul. The top of the picture is the surface of the ocean. The water depth is only 126ft (solid thick red line running across the center of the photo) and the dark blobs of red in between 0-100ft is a whole lot of some thick mass: potential whale food! Wow!

Mogul circling here, making bubble clouds there, and even surfacing just off our starboard bow certainly gave us all something to remember the trip by. 

A bubble cloud forming right next to the boat!

Many thanks to all our passengers for spending your day with us and of course to the whales for doing what they do best: being wild, unpredictable, and always an impressive sight.

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