Close to Shore!

Today on the Prince of Whales, we were treated to lots of whales and birds close to shore! Typically we have to travel over 20 miles to find whales, but today was different. Within about an hour of leaving the dock, we were watching the humpback whale, Solas, and saw 2 fin whales in the background to the north! As we were watching Solas, an 8-year-old whale, we got a report from a fishing boat of another whale just a few miles away! We headed east and came across another humpback whale that was bubble feeding! When this whale fluked, I didn't recognize the pattern at all! But after consulting our on-board catalog, I learned this was Tigris!! Tigris is a 25-year-old male humpback whale who typically feeds in the Bay of Fundy, off Nova Scotia! Tigris delighted us by blowing lots of bright green patches of bubbles and surfacing (once with his mouth wide open!) close to the bubbles! As the wind picked up and the rain came, Tigris continued his feeding as we followed him for a bit. On our way back home, we returned to the 2 fin whales to get some closer looks at them. These 2 fin whales were traveling side by side, surfacing within seconds of each other! Fin whales are my favorite, since so little is known about them, so any opportunity to see these huge animals near the Ledge is a great day in my book!!
Thanks to all of our hearty passengers who braved the windy conditions and choppy ride home to have a chance to visit the home of these awesome animals!! Happy 4th of July!