Saturday, July 21, 2018

There has been so much life inshore of Jeffreys Ledge recently and today was no different. This morning we saw six minke whales, including Finke(!), five humpback whales and a brief glance at a fin whale. We started with Rhino the humpback whale darting around as minke whales popped up on the outskirts of the area.

Fin-less minke or "Finke" we like to call it!

Another minke whale sighted this morning. This time with a dorsal fin.

Rhino the humpback whale

We ultimately came into an area where a trio of humpback whales were, but almost immediately regretted being there as soon as we arrived. The fleet of recreational boats swarming around these mammals was stressful. We can only hope those who are lucky enough to own a boat are responsible enough to know how to safely maneuver around creatures of the sea, know what signs to look for and be vigilant on the water knowing whales reside in the area at this time of year. We eased out of the area as soon as possible after seeing Clamp, Nine and Milkyway at the surface.

Milkyway and Clamp at the surface

After more searching and ultimately heading to another whale report we got side-tracked. Another humpback whale was being extremely active. This whale was breaching, flipper-slapping and creating quite the spectacle.

Humpback whale launching itself out of the water!

White flipper in the air

Breach!

This whale was being so active only a few miles off the mainland

After these impressive displays we headed for home. During our travels we even spotted a fin whale out in the distance.

This afternoon we started whale watching with a pair of fin whales. These whales were on the move but we were able to get some good looks at the second largest animals on Earth.

One of the fin whale's in our pair

The other fin whale in our pair

We also found another fin whale moving through the area and six minke whales during the trip.

Minke whale

The day wrapped up with a mother-calf humpback whale pair. These whales are new visitors to the area this season. Jabiru and her 2018 calf we slowly moving about! The calf even flipper-slapped briefly while watching this pair.

Jabiru and her calf the the surface

Calf's flipper

Jabiru's calf diving