July 8th on the Granite State

The stars of the show during this morning's whale watch was the first species we encountered during our trip. We came across a pod of 60 Atlantic white-sided dolphins. This groups was on the move, but going nowhere fast, giving all of us aboard the boat some time to enjoy these zip-zooming mammals in the water.

After a bit more searching we came across a single Fin whale. The only problem with this sighting was that there was a tug and barge moving through the area in close vicinity to the whale! With the animal not taking very long dives, causing it to be at the surface much more often, this whale was more susceptible to this large vessel moving through the area. But have no fear... our Captain was already on the VHF radio hailing the large tug and barge to inform them of a whale close by. It is always very important to be on the lookout for whales anytime you, or someone you know, is out on the ocean. Whales are mammals just like us and are required to come to the surface to get a breath of air in order to survive! A watchful eye by anyone on board a boat can help lessen the chance of a whale-vessel interaction, as ship strikes are one of the major threats to all large whales! So be aware and be vigilant and help to save a whale...THANKS!

The morning trip ended with us finding Hornbill the Humpback again. However for our afternoon trip, in a matter of hours everything changed. It was a challenging afternoon for us as the ocean was providing unsuccessful sightings of whales. Animals that had been around previously were gone, or hiding, and we were getting anxious. We had a Basking shark literally jump clear out of the water at one point, but many of our passengers, including myself, completely missed it. We had a Fin whale that was spending the majority of its time under the water, surfacing only for a breath before staying under for another 10 minutes. What to do.... nothing seemed to be working to our benefit. But then we got word.

Thanks to our friends aboard the Prince of Whales, they were passing through an area not too far from us and saw a spout. They were out of time to check out the whale but passed along the information to us and off we went. Well our patience and searching paid off! We found not just one whale, but 2. Two Fin whales that turned out to be a mother and her newborn calf! We were able to get some amazing looks as the mother Fin whale was resting just under the surface not moving much at all! All our passengers could see the underside of the Fin whale, with its bright green sheen due to the white belly of all Fin whales (and the plentiful plankton in the water turning white objects into shimmery green patches!), and watched as the calf would surface alongside every so often.

Our Fin Whale mother surfacing for a breath

An incredible sight having an adult reaching over 60ft in length staying stationary alongside our boat while having the calf there close by. In the end, our efforts paid off this afternoon.

It is important to realize that all whales are wild animals. While we have a good idea of where these animals might be when we go searching everyday, we are at the mercy of all whales and have no idea what the day may bring. Whether we spend most of our time searching for or watching these massive animals is chance in which the whales always have the upper hand. Whales come and go as they please and it is the uncertainty and thrill of the unexpected that causes so many of us go out in search of these incredible creatures. So thank you to all who joined us today, helped in the search, and hopefully came back to the dock with a new appreciation of just how mysteriously unexpected whales can be.

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