June 23 Prince of Whales, Newburyport

Before the big thunder storm hits and knocks out our power, I will try to get today's post up!

Today was such a flat-calm day on the ocean! It was like a lake 20 miles offshore!  As we headed towards the Ledge, we found a big basking shark!! This one had some pretty extensive scars on its back, but it seemed to be doing ok and came close to us a couple times!

Basking shark

Not far away, we spotted our first blows. Actually, before the blows, we saw a huge splash! Someone just jumped out of the ocean! As we approached we quickly learned that the splash came from a young humpback whale. Pinball and her calf were here! Pinball is one of our adoptable humpback whales and she has been seen a few times earlier this season! Pinball was busy feeding while the calf was a bit wiggly and occasionally left its mother's side for some gallivanting.

Pinball and calf

Pinball and calf about to dive down

Pinball's tail and "evidence" that she has been feeding

Pinball's calf's very cool flukes!

After spending some time with this pair we headed off in search of more activity to the east. We found several minke whales and a big fin whale! This fin whale was trucking, and finally we got a decent look at it. I'm not sure who this whale is yet but will search our catalog soon.

Fin whale

Thanks to the interested passengers today and to our awesome shark-diver friends who adopted Pinball and Gills, the basking shark! And congratulations to Sarah for winning our raffle! Stay dry out there!

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June 22 Granite State

Boy oh boy was the ocean clam as calm could be today.  Almost the entire day we were treated to very calm seas and minimal breezes.  It was truly an enjoyable sight.  Add in our whales and it was another great day on Jeffreys Ledge!

This morning we first started with a couple of Minke whales.  Turns out these two animals in the area would be the start to the 7 we saw throughout our travels of the morning. 

Minke whale in the lake-like conditions known as the ocean this morning

With some nice looks we were off to the Ledge and hopefully more whale sighting.  Our next sightings of the morning time was one of the 3 Fin whales we saw in the area.  This whale was easy to identify... it was Fjord.  Not only have we been seeing this whale for a few days now, this whale's dorsal fin is so unique that with just a quick glance we smile knowing a familiar "friend" is in our mists. 

Fjord

Fjord creating its own wake as it surfaces for a breath of air

One of the other Fin whales in the area ended up just alongside Fjord at one point.  As quickly as this whale had moved in near Fjord, the two whales seemed to join up for a brief moment, and then just as quickly part ways.  It was an interesting sight to see as we watched the two whales maneuver in towards each other, synchronize their surfaces for only 3 breaths, and then back off in completely different directions.  Interesting how we are always intrigued to see the interactions between some of the largest creatures on this planet.

We left the Fin whales behind and saw out in the distance a different species.  With such incredible ocean conditions we ended up making our way to another whale a few miles away.  It was Halfmoon the Humpback whale. 

Halfmoon

Halfmoon was circling the area, spending only a few minutes underwater, and even blew a few bubble clouds, allowing for some some great looks at this animal. 

The unique black and white pattern of the underside of Halfmoon's tail

With a bit more time we decided to venture off to search for more marine life.  Turns out our next sighting wasn't even a whale.  As we moved over Jeffreys Ledge we ended up "sneaking" up on a dorsal fin... it was a Basking shark!  The tip of this large shark's fin was breaking the surface and by slowly coming into the area, the shark just continued to swim just below the water's surface and we got a chance to check out this fish!

Basking shark's dorsal fin

Our afternoon trip also started with a couple of Minke whales.  These two animals were staying confined to a particular area of ocean as we soon realized not only the whales, but the birds in the area, were all trying to catch some food. 

Birds and bait are just beyond where this Minke whale surfaces

We had one Minke whale lunge through the water just off the pulpit, extending its pleats on its lower jaw maximizing the amount of food, and consequently salt water, inside its mouth!  While the whale was trying to munch up all the fish, the seagulls were attempting to do the same as life from the sky and sea were attempting to catch as much as possible.

As we continued around Jeffreys Ledge we saw a few blows in the distance and decided to first check out a Fin whale.  This animal was all over the place!  Only coming up for maximum 2 breaths before diving under the surface, this whale was on a mission.  Luckily it wasn't moving great distances in between dives so we got some nice looks at this very quick moving animal this afternoon.

The scars along this Fin whale's tail stock will help to positively identify exactly who this whale is

Next we got to spend some time with yet another species of whale.  This time it was a pair of Humpback whales.  It was Pinball and her calf.  When we first approached this mother and calf pair we got the chance to watch both of them sleeping on the surface. 

Shhhh... Humpback whale sleeping zone!

These two were suspended right on the surface and got the chance to float right alongside them as all three of us (Pinball, her calf, and the boat) sat there floating in the mid-afternoon sun.  After eventually waking up the two circled around as Mom did a bit of feeding, creating bubble clouds, while the calf kept swimming to catch up to wherever mom was moving to.

Pinball

If only the weather, and the whales, were like this everyday... Alas, we get to enjoy the unexpectedness of it all: the weather, the whales, and the pure excitement of the unknown each and every time we go whale watching.  And that is the best part.

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June 22 on the Atlantic Queen

Pinball's calf lobtailing, belly up!

What a great day! The temperatures were perfect, the seas were calm, and we had amazing sightings!

We got quick looks at a couple minke whales as we neared Jeffreys Ledge, and then learned from a fishing vessel that there were two other whales nearby - we headed a little further offshore to find Pinball, one of our adoptable humpbacks, and her calf! Pinball was born in 1989 and we see her almost every year, so we were excited to find them!

And it wasn't too hard to find them - the calf was very busy lobtailing (slapping its tail on the water), and could easily be seen from a distance!

The calf, belly-up lobtailing, with Pinball in front

As we approached, the calf kept lobtailing, and we realized that it was lying on its back, basically lobtailing upside-down!  This continued for a long time - and when we got closer, the calf did too, and came over and appeared to check us out while Pinball surfaced nearby.

The calf comes in closer

Pinball's distinctive fluke

As we were watching Pinball and her calf (her 6th calf, who will be named after it is seen in a subsequent year), we also spotted a couple minke whales - we had 6 minkes total for the day.

Incoming!

We got back to Rye and found nice, cool breezes. It was a perfect way to spend the day. Thanks to all the wonderful, enthusiastic passengers who joined us!

Pinball and calf

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June 22 Prince of Whales, Newburyport

Lovely day on the ocean! Glassy calm seas AND whales! What more could you ask for??

Halfmoon surfacing

Early in the trip, we swung around to catch a quick look at a harbor seal. This little guy was very cute but a little shy so we continued on. Next up, a few lucky passengers caught some glimpses of a solitary harbor porpoise. We didn't stop as these critters are typically quite shy and hard to get good looks at. We continued on and thanks to the Granite State from Rye Harbor who left earlier in the day, we were able to view Halfmoon, the elder male humpback whale. Halfmoon has been a new regular of Jeffreys Ledge this spring/summer!  We watched him for a bit and soon after the big scary herring fishing boat went by, Halfmoon screamed off to the east- seemingly as though the herring boat scared him off. Herring boats are very well designed to take a LOT of herring out of the ocean for important things such as cat food, fertilizer and bait for lobster traps. Unfortunately for the whales, these boats mean less food for them as they primarily feed on the herring on Jeffreys Ledge.

Halfmoon

After following Halfmoon for a bit to the east, we decided to go in search of other whales. We eventually came across a couple of fin whales. These two were not hanging out together but instead just in the same area. Before long, we saw one of the fin whales was Fjord again! He came up close to us, giving us all a nice look at his unique dorsal fin.

Fjord

Soon we saw the 2nd fin whale in the neighborhood close by. I'm not exactly sure what happened underwater next but suddenly Fjord rolled on his side when the 2nd whale (#0021) approached him and then Fjord quickly took off to the SE. From our perspective, it appeared to be some sort of territorial dispute which is odd for fin whales so I'm still not sure what went on under the waves!  After that, # 0021 began heading to the north, slowly. Interestingly, both Fjord and 0021 are adult males (most likely) who were first documented in the early 1980's!

Fjord, rolling on his side, showing us his left flipper!

#0021, first seen in 1983!

 As we followed 0021, our mate, Ryan, spotted another blow in the distance. It took some effort but finally we were able to get close to this 3rd fin whale and identify him as Dingle (#0369)! This was Dingle's first appearance of the season!

#0369, Dingle!

Now it was definitely time to head for home, and the heat from land greeted us as we got closer. At least we were able to escape it for a few hours!  Thanks to our awesome passengers today and congratulations to Ms. Dibble for not only winning our raffle, but for seeing her first whales after trying 3 times prior with no luck!


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June 21 Granite State

After spending some time with a few Minke whales this morning we made our way to Jeffreys Ledge and found a familiar whale circling the area.  Fjord was back on the Ledge.  Prior to today's sighting Fjord's last sighting had been on May 26.  That's 3 weeks to the day!  

Fjord

Whether Fjord ventured to other areas of Jeffreys Ledge over the past few weeks, perhaps eluding our line of sight, or left the area all together we may never know but it certainly was great to see this animal in our area once again!

Before heading home we went searching and saw a spout from another animal out in the distance.  It didn't take long before we knew we had come across another species.  It was a Humpback whale, specifically Halfmoon the Humpback whale. 

Halfmoon

We too had this whale earlier in the season (last sighting on June 12) and enjoyed spending time watching this whale actively engaging in some deep-feeding.  Many a time we would see the remnant of a bubble cloud rise to the surface, a mechanism used by Humpback whales to catch all lots of food!  As we heard one of our passengers say today as we passed by one of these clouds, "The ocean, it's sizzling."  That's what happens when a 40+ft whale releases millions of air bubbles in the water to scare all its prey items into one massive tight ball of fish!

Halfmoon's tail

With a quick swish of its tail Halfmoon creates quite a bit of white water (1/2 of its tail is seen above the surface)

This afternoon we spent some more time with Fjord the Fin whale.  In the morning this whale was constantly moving around and changing direction.  This afternoon Fjord's behavior was quite different as it decided to take a quick nap alongside the boat!  Nothing like one of the second largest animals in the world remaining almost completely stationary under the water's surface for all of our passengers to get the full appreciation of the entire length of this animal! 

Fjord surfacing for a breath while getting a bit of rest this afternoon

Once back awake Fjord even decided to slightly open its mouth right at the surface of the water. 

Fjord deciding to showcase some of it's baleen to all of us

With some great looks at Fjord we decided to check out some other areas of Jeffreys Ledge for more whales lurking around.  Thanks to some great spotters on the upper deck we ended up spending time with another Fin whale.  This animal was circling the area as a couple times it surfaced just off the pulpit and even off the stern! Not a bad way to end a trip that's for sure! 

The head of a Fin whale as it surfaced just in front of us!

Our Fin whale going down for a dive

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Atlantic Queen June 21 2012

I could not wait to leave Rye Harbor today, the heat was just to much to take.   As we passed by The Isles of shoals the cooler breeze kicked in!  I have never been happier!  We talked to our friends on The Prince of Whales and The Granite State who filled us in on the latest whale report and we were on our way.

After searching for a bit we found 3 minke whales,darting all around keeping us on our toes.  Then the big spout from Fjord.  Fjord is one of our "adopt a whales" from The Blue Ocean Society.  Fjord's dives were all over the place.  This is the first time I have seen Fjord this summer, always exciting. 









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June 21 Prince of Whales, Newburyport

Today was a great day to escape the heat of Newburyport! We headed to Jeffreys Ledge in search of whales and cooler temps. Thanks to the Granite State, we heard of a report of a humpback whale not too far from us. We slowed down to approach it and a minke whale popped up! After a couple looks at this whale, we continued on to the humpback. After a distant look at the flukes, we easily identified this whale as Halfmoon, one of the older whales known to frequent this area!

Here comes Halfmoon!

Halfmoon fluking- check out his barnacles!

Halfmoon

Halfmoon was busy feeding- blowing big clouds of bubbles to catch his lunch. We even got to see him poop many times- exciting, I know! Who gets to tell their friends they saw a whale poop??

Soon it was time to go, but we found our good friend, Fjord, the fin whale, on the way home.  Fjord was moving around a bit but finally surfaced very close to us, giving us all a great look at his chevron markings and uniquely notched dorsal fin!

Fjord coming up for a breath

Fjord's distinct dorsal fin

As we headed for home, the temperature was rising and back on land, the heat was oppressive. I wish we could spend the night on the cooler ocean! Congrats to our winner of the daily raffle- Megan! Enjoy your adopted whale!

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