June 24 on the Atlantic Queen

It was a beautiful day on the water today - calm seas and nice cool breezes! It was a good thing, as we had a ways to go to find whales, but our patience paid off!

After cruising all over Jeffreys Ledge, we made our way down to southern Jeffreys, where we thought there might be a fin whale or two. We were surprised to find Half Moon, a humpback who has been around Jeffreys Ledge quite a bit since the end of May, and who was named for the crescent-shaped scar on the edge of his fluke.  We got some great looks at this 34-year old whale from both sides of the boat.

We then heard from the Granite State that they had a fin whale, conveniently on our way home. We went a few miles toward Rye and found Fjord, one of our adoptable whales, who has also been in the area a lot since May.  It's always exciting to see one of our adoptable whales, who are usually picked for our adoption program since they are frequent visitors to our area!

After some looks at Fjord, we headed home. Sounds like there's lots of rain in store for tomorrow - sometimes storms seem to stir things up in the Gulf of Maine - maybe it'll bring the prey a bit closer to Rye later in the week!

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June 24 Prince of Whales, Newburyport

For those of you who are members or follow us, you may have just read our latest newsletter with my article about when is the best time to see whales. I mentioned that seeing a few fin whales side by side would be my ideal trip, and that I realized that wasn't everyone's ideal. Today was a day that I was in whale heaven even though I'm pretty sure not everyone on board agreed.

So what did we see to make me so excited?? A fin whale mother with her new calf!!!!!  And to make it even better, it was a whale I knew AND we got excellent ID photos of her calf. Awesome!!

So here is how it all went down... We were trying to look at a couple of minke whales that were being less than cooperative. Our captain claimed he saw a "very low-profile fin whale" up ahead. We go there and saw nothing for the longest time...just some distant minkes that were hard to get good looks at. Finally, the fin whale came up. I snapped a few shots but the whale was still a good 1/4 mile away. When I stopped talking long enough to zoom in on my photos, I recognized this whale immediately: #9904! I was thrilled she was back in the area as we see her nearly annually. We know she is a female because she showed up with calves in 2005 and 2008.

#9904 was only surfacing for a couple breaths before sinking below the surface. Her movements weren't consistent. Then she surfaced and from a distance it looked like she had 2 dorsal fins. Hmmm....Another breath, and we could see she had a friend along side her. But this friend was really small- her calf!!  Yay, #9904 is a mom again! So that was pretty cool. We got some distant looks but neither mom nor calf were spending much time at the surface, until it was time for us to leave. THEN, she decided to do what she is famous for and cut right across our bow! As she was approaching, we cut our engines to make it more quiet for not only us but also for her and the calf. The pair stayed up for 6 breaths, approaching us! We were finally able to get some fantastic shots of both mom and calf, and based on the shots of the calf, we will now be able to ID it in future years when it returns on its own!

#9904 and her calf just behind her!

Check out the calf's awesome chevron markings!

#9904 and calf going down

Such a phenomenal sighting!  Then to top it off, we encountered fin whale, Fjord, on our way home! He was busy traveling to the north and we were out of time so we didn't stay long, but it is always great to see one of our adoptable whales!

Fjord seen close to Cape Ann

So no, the whales were not breaching or lifting their tails in the air, but this was an incredible trip for an avid whale researcher who is so excited to add another member to the endangered fin whale family!


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June 23 Granite State

It was another beautiful morning on Jeffreys Ledge today.  The whales and weather were working hand in hand as the ocean looked like a lake and the whales were out and about!  Our trip started with a couple Minke whales perusing the area and after a few looks we knew we had to keep going and utilize the gorgeous conditions we were surrounded by to search for more marine life.

Minke whale

Next stop a Fin whale.  Can you guess who it was???  Low and behold we had found Fjord once again.  This animal was in a completely different location than where we had seen it just yesterday, but there it was moving through the area. 

Hello again Fjord!

What a pleasant surprise.  With some nice looks at such a familiar Fin whale we were off again to see what else was lurking on Jeffreys Ledge.

One familiar whale lead to another.  It was Halfmoon the Humpback whale.  Another animal we had seen less than 24hrs before in a section of Jeffreys Ledge miles away!  Halfmoon kept us keyed in on its movements as this whale created a few bubble clouds (something we have been seeing from this animal multiple days in a row no matter where on the Ledge we keep seeing this whale) all while meandering around the ocean for a bit.

Halfmoon

More Minke whales topped off this morning's adventure and before we knew it we were off again for our afternoon trip.  Sea conditions were still enjoyable as a light sea breeze picked up, cooling everyone down a few degrees as we ventured offshore.

Our first whales this afternoon were Pinball the Humpback whale and her calf.  Both animals were slowly moving around as we got some great looks as these two whales effortlessly swam in synchrony together. 

Pinball

With such great quality time spent with these two mammals we decided to move on to other areas of Jeffreys Ledge to search for more life.  Apparently Pinball and her calf had other plans...

With a flick of her tail, Pinball creates quite the saltwater disturbance

Pinball's calf showcasing the underside of it's tail for us

Within minutes of us leaving suddenly a frantic of activity occurred on the upper deck.  Our passengers informed us a whale was breaching out behind us.  With a quick turn of the head (and boat!) we all soon saw that Pinball's calf was jumping clear out of the water!  While the calf decided to go "aerial" Mom had her own plans as she started rolling over bringing her massive flippers above the surface and smacking them on the water! 

Half of Pinball's tail (left) and her large white flipper (right)

Pinball's calf breaches

What a sight.  Clearly we headed back to the area and got the chance to see these two whales continue to flipper slap the water (Pinball) and jump out of the salty sea multiple times (Pinball's calf). 

The behaviors of these two whales changed in a matter of moments and we had no idea how long any of it would last.  The thrill of all whales is the unpredicted nature these massive creatures exhibit and understanding the full luck and appreciation of any such movements these animals make.  Our time had been very much enjoyable before this pair started becoming active, making the whole experience that much more special as I hope you realize it was all luck to see such remarkable moments to begin with.

Many thanks to Pinball and her calf for permanently embedding quite the memory into so many of our passengers today as we also got to add to this trip 2 Fin whales and a couple of Minke whales as well into our afternoon outing.

Pinball's calf

Before making it back to the harbor we did get a nice fresh water rinse as the rain came down but had stopped before we even got back to the harbor.  Fact is, this was just the icing on the cake with all that we experienced today.  Nothing like Mother Nature showing her beauty is all kinds of ways today on the water.

Rainbow at Rye Harbor

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June 23 Prince of Whales, Newburyport

Before the big thunder storm hits and knocks out our power, I will try to get today's post up!

Today was such a flat-calm day on the ocean! It was like a lake 20 miles offshore!  As we headed towards the Ledge, we found a big basking shark!! This one had some pretty extensive scars on its back, but it seemed to be doing ok and came close to us a couple times!

Basking shark

Not far away, we spotted our first blows. Actually, before the blows, we saw a huge splash! Someone just jumped out of the ocean! As we approached we quickly learned that the splash came from a young humpback whale. Pinball and her calf were here! Pinball is one of our adoptable humpback whales and she has been seen a few times earlier this season! Pinball was busy feeding while the calf was a bit wiggly and occasionally left its mother's side for some gallivanting.

Pinball and calf

Pinball and calf about to dive down

Pinball's tail and "evidence" that she has been feeding

Pinball's calf's very cool flukes!

After spending some time with this pair we headed off in search of more activity to the east. We found several minke whales and a big fin whale! This fin whale was trucking, and finally we got a decent look at it. I'm not sure who this whale is yet but will search our catalog soon.

Fin whale

Thanks to the interested passengers today and to our awesome shark-diver friends who adopted Pinball and Gills, the basking shark! And congratulations to Sarah for winning our raffle! Stay dry out there!

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June 22 Granite State

Boy oh boy was the ocean clam as calm could be today.  Almost the entire day we were treated to very calm seas and minimal breezes.  It was truly an enjoyable sight.  Add in our whales and it was another great day on Jeffreys Ledge!

This morning we first started with a couple of Minke whales.  Turns out these two animals in the area would be the start to the 7 we saw throughout our travels of the morning. 

Minke whale in the lake-like conditions known as the ocean this morning

With some nice looks we were off to the Ledge and hopefully more whale sighting.  Our next sightings of the morning time was one of the 3 Fin whales we saw in the area.  This whale was easy to identify... it was Fjord.  Not only have we been seeing this whale for a few days now, this whale's dorsal fin is so unique that with just a quick glance we smile knowing a familiar "friend" is in our mists. 

Fjord

Fjord creating its own wake as it surfaces for a breath of air

One of the other Fin whales in the area ended up just alongside Fjord at one point.  As quickly as this whale had moved in near Fjord, the two whales seemed to join up for a brief moment, and then just as quickly part ways.  It was an interesting sight to see as we watched the two whales maneuver in towards each other, synchronize their surfaces for only 3 breaths, and then back off in completely different directions.  Interesting how we are always intrigued to see the interactions between some of the largest creatures on this planet.

We left the Fin whales behind and saw out in the distance a different species.  With such incredible ocean conditions we ended up making our way to another whale a few miles away.  It was Halfmoon the Humpback whale. 

Halfmoon

Halfmoon was circling the area, spending only a few minutes underwater, and even blew a few bubble clouds, allowing for some some great looks at this animal. 

The unique black and white pattern of the underside of Halfmoon's tail

With a bit more time we decided to venture off to search for more marine life.  Turns out our next sighting wasn't even a whale.  As we moved over Jeffreys Ledge we ended up "sneaking" up on a dorsal fin... it was a Basking shark!  The tip of this large shark's fin was breaking the surface and by slowly coming into the area, the shark just continued to swim just below the water's surface and we got a chance to check out this fish!

Basking shark's dorsal fin

Our afternoon trip also started with a couple of Minke whales.  These two animals were staying confined to a particular area of ocean as we soon realized not only the whales, but the birds in the area, were all trying to catch some food. 

Birds and bait are just beyond where this Minke whale surfaces

We had one Minke whale lunge through the water just off the pulpit, extending its pleats on its lower jaw maximizing the amount of food, and consequently salt water, inside its mouth!  While the whale was trying to munch up all the fish, the seagulls were attempting to do the same as life from the sky and sea were attempting to catch as much as possible.

As we continued around Jeffreys Ledge we saw a few blows in the distance and decided to first check out a Fin whale.  This animal was all over the place!  Only coming up for maximum 2 breaths before diving under the surface, this whale was on a mission.  Luckily it wasn't moving great distances in between dives so we got some nice looks at this very quick moving animal this afternoon.

The scars along this Fin whale's tail stock will help to positively identify exactly who this whale is

Next we got to spend some time with yet another species of whale.  This time it was a pair of Humpback whales.  It was Pinball and her calf.  When we first approached this mother and calf pair we got the chance to watch both of them sleeping on the surface. 

Shhhh... Humpback whale sleeping zone!

These two were suspended right on the surface and got the chance to float right alongside them as all three of us (Pinball, her calf, and the boat) sat there floating in the mid-afternoon sun.  After eventually waking up the two circled around as Mom did a bit of feeding, creating bubble clouds, while the calf kept swimming to catch up to wherever mom was moving to.

Pinball

If only the weather, and the whales, were like this everyday... Alas, we get to enjoy the unexpectedness of it all: the weather, the whales, and the pure excitement of the unknown each and every time we go whale watching.  And that is the best part.

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June 22 on the Atlantic Queen

Pinball's calf lobtailing, belly up!

What a great day! The temperatures were perfect, the seas were calm, and we had amazing sightings!

We got quick looks at a couple minke whales as we neared Jeffreys Ledge, and then learned from a fishing vessel that there were two other whales nearby - we headed a little further offshore to find Pinball, one of our adoptable humpbacks, and her calf! Pinball was born in 1989 and we see her almost every year, so we were excited to find them!

And it wasn't too hard to find them - the calf was very busy lobtailing (slapping its tail on the water), and could easily be seen from a distance!

The calf, belly-up lobtailing, with Pinball in front

As we approached, the calf kept lobtailing, and we realized that it was lying on its back, basically lobtailing upside-down!  This continued for a long time - and when we got closer, the calf did too, and came over and appeared to check us out while Pinball surfaced nearby.

The calf comes in closer

Pinball's distinctive fluke

As we were watching Pinball and her calf (her 6th calf, who will be named after it is seen in a subsequent year), we also spotted a couple minke whales - we had 6 minkes total for the day.

Incoming!

We got back to Rye and found nice, cool breezes. It was a perfect way to spend the day. Thanks to all the wonderful, enthusiastic passengers who joined us!

Pinball and calf

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June 22 Prince of Whales, Newburyport

Lovely day on the ocean! Glassy calm seas AND whales! What more could you ask for??

Halfmoon surfacing

Early in the trip, we swung around to catch a quick look at a harbor seal. This little guy was very cute but a little shy so we continued on. Next up, a few lucky passengers caught some glimpses of a solitary harbor porpoise. We didn't stop as these critters are typically quite shy and hard to get good looks at. We continued on and thanks to the Granite State from Rye Harbor who left earlier in the day, we were able to view Halfmoon, the elder male humpback whale. Halfmoon has been a new regular of Jeffreys Ledge this spring/summer!  We watched him for a bit and soon after the big scary herring fishing boat went by, Halfmoon screamed off to the east- seemingly as though the herring boat scared him off. Herring boats are very well designed to take a LOT of herring out of the ocean for important things such as cat food, fertilizer and bait for lobster traps. Unfortunately for the whales, these boats mean less food for them as they primarily feed on the herring on Jeffreys Ledge.

Halfmoon

After following Halfmoon for a bit to the east, we decided to go in search of other whales. We eventually came across a couple of fin whales. These two were not hanging out together but instead just in the same area. Before long, we saw one of the fin whales was Fjord again! He came up close to us, giving us all a nice look at his unique dorsal fin.

Fjord

Soon we saw the 2nd fin whale in the neighborhood close by. I'm not exactly sure what happened underwater next but suddenly Fjord rolled on his side when the 2nd whale (#0021) approached him and then Fjord quickly took off to the SE. From our perspective, it appeared to be some sort of territorial dispute which is odd for fin whales so I'm still not sure what went on under the waves!  After that, # 0021 began heading to the north, slowly. Interestingly, both Fjord and 0021 are adult males (most likely) who were first documented in the early 1980's!

Fjord, rolling on his side, showing us his left flipper!

#0021, first seen in 1983!

 As we followed 0021, our mate, Ryan, spotted another blow in the distance. It took some effort but finally we were able to get close to this 3rd fin whale and identify him as Dingle (#0369)! This was Dingle's first appearance of the season!

#0369, Dingle!

Now it was definitely time to head for home, and the heat from land greeted us as we got closer. At least we were able to escape it for a few hours!  Thanks to our awesome passengers today and congratulations to Ms. Dibble for not only winning our raffle, but for seeing her first whales after trying 3 times prior with no luck!


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