May 11 Granite State

Welcome to the 2014 season! It was great to be back on the water searching for whales on Jeffreys Ledge today. We had a successful first day with two adult whales. Our first whale of the season was Humpback whale #0050 (sorry, no fun name for this whale).

First sighting of the season!

Interesting enough we also saw this whale around the same time last year (May 19, 2013 to be exact). Looks like this whale has decided to spend some time in the area once again this year. #0050 even produced a few bubble clouds, a feeding mechanism used by Humpback whales, as we watched this whale zig-zag all around. This whale was first seen in the Gulf of Maine in 1976 making #0050 at least 38 years old!

Humpback whale #0050

We ended our trip with some great looks at a different type of whale, it was a Fin whale! To add to our excitement it was Pemetic.

Just a portion of Pemetic the Fin whale's body

A closer look at the dorsal fin of Pemetic the Fin whale. All those jagged edges around the fin is unique to this whale and helps us to identify this specific individual. Pretty cool huh?

This whale was first seen by the Blue Ocean Society in 2003 but was first documented in the Gulf of Maine in 1982. Another whale known to be over 30 years old; 32 in fact! This whale has not been seen on Jeffreys Ledge for four years so it was extremely exciting to see and document this whale in our area! 

Our first Fin whale of the year!

It was a great start to the season and we hope all the mothers who joined us today enjoyed their Mother's Day aboard the Granite State along with the whales we saw today!

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