August 19 Granite State

Lots of marine life continues to utilize the productivity found out on and around Jeffreys Ledge! This morning we had a baleen whale grand slam (4 species in 1 trip!) and two pods of Atlantic white-sided dolphins! We first spent time watching a large pod of dolphins spread out amongst a vast area of the ocean milling around the area, taking turns moving this way and that.
Moving further offshore we ended up coming into an area where we "hopped" from one species to another, to another, in not a big section of ocean. First we gazed upon a large Fin whale circling around the area. Unfortunately this whale has some very distinct scarring along its body, an indication that at one point during this whale's life, it was most likely entangled in fishing gear.

Above: Note the prominent scars seen just in front and just below the dorsal fin of this animal
Below: The other side of this scarred whale. From this side you can barely even tell this whale has any scars on it.

Thankfully this whale only still shows the scars from this incident and has continued to thrive out in its natural, and sometimes dangerous, habitat. As we turned to leave this whale one of our passengers spotted another spout. It was a different species. This time it was a Humpback whale. This whale was on the move, spending a lot of time underneath the water, and surfacing out in the distance when it did finally return to the water's edge for another breath of air.

Zio the Humpback whale

Even out in the distance we could determine who this whale was, thanks to the photographs we took, as well as the "upturned" flukes this particular whale has. When this animal goes on a deeper diver and raises its tail above the surface, the tips of both ends of the tail almost look to be flared out (something this is not commonly seen amongst Humpback whales) and helps to verify specifically who this animal is even when it is not close by.

We also got a chance to spend time with another pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins. This particular group was on the move, constantly swimming in a steady direction, and creating quite the disturbance on the surface of the water. When these animals were first spotted out in the distance all you could see was lots of splashing. These whales were cruising through the area! The special treat with this group was that there were lots of birds flying overhead constantly searching for any scraps of food the dolphins may be leaving behind.

Shearwaters, terns, and even a few seagulls were at the ready in case they spotted something yummy to eat.

A few Great Shearwaters passing by the boat in a hurry to stay with the dolphins

It was quite the spectacle as the whole scene played out like organized chaos. Nothing like being witness to the food chain in action in the open ocean!

The trip ended with a few Sei whales scattered around the area including a trio right at the end. What a nice way to wrap up the morning.

One of our Sei whales

This afternoon we headed out to where we had sighted whales in the morning. What did we see first this time? Sei whales! We ended up seeing 4 different animals, including a pair surface right down the side of the boat.

Even Sei whales can be identified between each other:
Above: This Sei whale has a few linear scars along its back
Below: This Sei whale has many circular markings found along its back

Even though these whales are the fastest swimming animals in the ocean, they were definitely not using their speedy qualities this afternoon. Even though they were spending a bit of time underneath the water, they would surface close by allowing for some great looks at such sleek and fast creatures.

Two Sei whales maneuvering through the ocean together

The day wasn't over just yet as we ended up coming across two more whales, a pair moving through the water, of the second largest animals in the world! It was a pair of Fin whales.

One of our Fin whales. Much larger than the Sei whales we spent time with earlier!

Neither one of these whales were the same from the single Fin whale sighted during our morning travels to this area. It was a nice surprise to find these two whales moving through the water together.

Our pair of Fin whales at the surface

With such the variety of animals being seen recently we can only imagine what we might come across tomorrow. Stay tuned, or better yet come find out yourself!

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