We spotted a blow in the distance. After about 20 consecutive sideways blows, we realized, even from a mile away, that this was a sperm whale!!!!! We pulled up in the area where we saw it dive down and waited and waited....for 25 minutes. Finally it resurfaced but about another mile away. As we approached, it dove again, and this time we didn't feel we could wait another 25 minutes to catch another glimpse of this rare deep diver so we continued on.
Diving sperm whale from a distanceIt wasn't long before we saw another blow...and another. Two humpbacks were cruising around the area, and another couple of blows were seen a but further offshore. We spent time with the two humpback whales that were closest to us. Hornbill, first seen in 1977, was behaving surprisingly well for us (he has the reputation of being wily and unpredictable) and was surfacing frequently. Soon, the second humpback who we later identified as Mogul joined Hornbill. Apparently this couple wasn't meant to last as Mogul did a partial breach and the pair split up.
Head breach (or chin breach) by Mogul
Mogul- first seen in 1986As we were watching the humpbacks, two minke whales were seen scooting around the same area! Minkes have been somewhat scarce lately even though they are normally seen on about 75-80% of our trips and are not endangered.
We continued on to check out the other blows that were seen in the distance. These turned out to be three right whales! WOW! Two were together while the third was a little further out. Critically endangered right whales have been in the area for a few weeks now but they are usually found near Nova Scotia this time of year! With only about 423 in the population, and knowing these whales could be extinct in 50-200 years, seeing these animals is a very special opportunity for all of us.
Heading for home, we passed by a couple more minke whales and I was about to grab my lunch when the captain said to me, "Hey, it's up, and it's right here." I looked up and saw the sperm whale almost exactly where we had left it and it was really close! Holy moly!!! As we said last week when we saw this same whale, this is the rare of the rare around here. It's like seeing a flamingo at your birdfeeder. The last sperm whale seen on Jeffreys Ledge was 15 years ago! And that whale was only in the area for a day. This one has been here for nearly 2 weeks! The best part is that we were so lucky to be passing by when it happened to be breathing- something that this whale only does twice/hour!
We continued on to check out the other blows that were seen in the distance. These turned out to be three right whales! WOW! Two were together while the third was a little further out. Critically endangered right whales have been in the area for a few weeks now but they are usually found near Nova Scotia this time of year! With only about 423 in the population, and knowing these whales could be extinct in 50-200 years, seeing these animals is a very special opportunity for all of us.
Heading for home, we passed by a couple more minke whales and I was about to grab my lunch when the captain said to me, "Hey, it's up, and it's right here." I looked up and saw the sperm whale almost exactly where we had left it and it was really close! Holy moly!!! As we said last week when we saw this same whale, this is the rare of the rare around here. It's like seeing a flamingo at your birdfeeder. The last sperm whale seen on Jeffreys Ledge was 15 years ago! And that whale was only in the area for a day. This one has been here for nearly 2 weeks! The best part is that we were so lucky to be passing by when it happened to be breathing- something that this whale only does twice/hour!
Sperm whale dorsal hump and wrinkled skin
Sperm whale flukes- going down for another half hour!What an awesome day! And thanks to everyone on board for your excellent questions and sincere appreciation for the wildlife we were all lucky enough to see today!
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