June 11- Granite State

Our long distance travellers from the state of Vermont joined us on the water today as we headed out of Rye Harbor with the 3rd grade class from Union Elementary. Excited kids and sunny skies provided a great start to the day.

Before we had even passed by the Isles of Shoals we had our first marine animal sighting of the day. However, much to EVERYONE's surprise it wasn't a species we typically encounter during our trips. We had come across a LEATHERBACK TURTLE!!! Leatherback turtles are the largest and capable of diving the deepest of all the turtles in the world! A leatherback can grow up to 7ft long and dive to depths of 4,200ft!!! In the complete state of surprise that we found this turtle, I am sorry to report I did not get a chance to take a photograph. I have a feeling however, that many of the children did as they were just as excited to have their first sighting of the day as the crew was in finding this creature. After a handful of breaths of air the turtle ever so easily slipped under the surface of the ocean disappearing from sight. Wow, this was definitely a sighting I will not be forgetting anytime soon and a reminder of how unexpected any sighting can be.

Our trip was only beginning and soon again we had another animal in sight, this time a blow from a whale. We found a Fin whale that was definitely on the move, in multiple directions, so our time spent with this animal was definitely a bit of a challenge. It is easy to get so caught up in seeing these animals sometimes that you forget these whales are wild, and can and do whatever they want, whenever they want. With a few good looks we decided to press on towards the Ledge.

Thanks to our fishing friends we had been informed of a large whale on Jeffreys and were pleased to find yet another Fin whale for all to see. This whale was particularly exciting to find because it turned out to be Dingle the Fin whale!



This whale was first sighted on Jeffreys Ledge in 2003 has made multiple appearances over the years to the Blue Ocean research affiliates, most recently last year! It is always a great feeling to see an "old friend" return to feast on these feeding grounds.

Thanks to a lively group of kids who were full of amazing and intriguing questions!

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