The wind created quite an adventure for all our passengers, some getting a bit more wet than others, but with smiling faces our trip was a success. Our travels brought us to an area inshore of Jeffreys Ledge where we found 6 different Fin whales, Bluefin Tuna, and 3 different Ocean Sunfish. Most of the whales were circling around the area as we watched them maneuver through the ocean with ease. We even got a chance to see one Fin whale charge after a group of schooling fish.
This particular whale surfaced and then turned 90 degrees almost instantaneously, rolling on it's side, with it's mouth wide open. Moments later we witnessed the same animal scoop up another large group of fish that both Bluefin Tuna and pelagic birds were chomping down on. It was such a quick moment and yet there was so much going on for that split second in time. Almost an organized chaos of fish grouping up, larger fish taking food from the bottom, underwater layer, birds picking off the food at the surface and then an enormous whale shoving all other creatures aside in order to capture most everything else!!!
It just amazes me how intricate the bond of life is out in the ocean and and when we get a chance to witness this mesh really just reaffirms how important it is to help maintain and conserve this vast area of the earth. Life on land depends on the sea and vice versa which is why we need to do all that we can to keep this bond alive.
Thanks to all of our passengers who joined us and got a chance to share in the excitement of our day. Great questions from our group from Colby Sawyer and I truly enjoyed chatting with everyone on our ride in today. Thank you all and hope to see you again soon!
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2 comments:
My husband and I were on the Granite State for the whale watch today. We had scheduled to go on the 5 Lighthouse Cruise which was canceled, then for Wednesday which was also canceled, so we were very happy to finally be able to board for this particular journey. Then, we left the harbor...those waves were something else! It was all I could do to hang on to the rail and not fall over...I was very glad that I had taken the seasickness pill that were offered at the ticket house. And I was one of the "lucky" ones to receive a full dousing, a few times until I learned my lesson and spent the rest of the trip inside. I know this is not normal and I know that sometimes these things happen, but I must say we were both a little disappointed. I was never afraid for our safety, but we were both very uncomfortable for the rest of the trip. The fin whale lunge feeding was very cool, but I was busy holding on and didn't get to really enjoy it, and certainly didn't get to photograph it. This was such a deviation from our trip out last year when we enjoyed over an hour of having the boat circled by humpbacks and caused us to fall in love with whales. I don't want to discourage anyone from going on whale watches, and I'll go again in a heartbeat. But I tell you, right now I feel like once you have such a tremendous trip as we had last year, it ruins you for future trips, none can compare. I hope next time will disprove my theory. I still love you guys, just wish I'd gone on the Sunday before when the seas were calmer and the sightings were more spectacular.
It is quite incredible how easily conditions can change, in one direction or the other, out on the open ocean and this Fall has been no exception. It has been quite frustrating that a good handful of trips have been canceled due to the wind and sea state. Then again it is New England and at this time of the year it seems as though anything is possible any given day. The weather is constantly monitored starting many mornings before the sun even rises to before we leave the harbor and even after we head out. It would be so easy to have every day bring sunshine and no wind but we have to deal with what is handed to us. Granted there are some days when the ocean has lake-like conditions and then there are days like the 18th. I defintely don't deny it was a bit bumpy and we took some good salt water onto the boat. Sometimes you get more of an experience than other trips to say the least. It was a day to safely head out in search of whales but by no means was it going to be a smooth ride. It definitely never hurts to be prepared and take a sea-sick pill, just to be on the safe side, and of course I'm glad you did :) Many times I don't even get a chance to take pictures due to the condtions, or very good ones at that, but it is truly the memories that you get off the boat with that you remember the best. Granted I can imagine your trip was a trip to remember, maybe not in the best sense especially compared to last year, but the fact that we got to see wild animals in their natural habitat is quite an incredible sight. The whales don't seem to be affected by the same factors we humans have to deal with. These marine mammals are not bothered with wind or waves or sun or clouds. Getting a chance to witness a small glimpse of what these animal's do on any given day is the goal. Somedays we get a chance to see some spectacular events and other days we see what these whales spend most of their time doing. Taking a few breaths and diving back under the water is obviously much more common to see from any particular whale. We do not control these animals in any way and as much as I enjoy when we get some close encounters, it is a behavior very rarely witnessed and completely random. I am so glad you both had a chance to see what you saw last year and we have had some of the same instances this season. One of the many reasons I love my job is the exact fact that we truly have no idea what we may see, or not see, everytime we leave the harbor and go out in search of these endangered whales. How many whales we see, what species of whales we see, what behaviors are seen are completely up in the air and are as unknown to our passengers as these questions are to our crew on every single trip. I hope that you return again for another trip and hopefully don't get soaking wet (feel free to ask the crew as you board if there is going to be a "dry" or "wet" side as we head out) but to anyone else reading this we hope you realize we have no control of the whales, especially what kind of whales we may see, or how "rough" the seas may be. We cancel trips when necessary for safety reasons but not all trips are on flat calm conditions. In general when dealing with the weather it never hurts to be overly prepared. The more layers the better. You can always take off coats and sweatshirts, but it can be a VERY long trip otherwise. Please understand we do sympathize when we take an unexpected wave or splash over the boat, but sometimes it happens and we can only do so much. I appreciate your candid comment and always feel free to call the ticket office for the most up-to-date weather conditions as well as ocean conditions. You can never ask too many questions.
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