Tuesday, August 14, 2018

One factor remained consistent on both trips today...the fog. We were surrounded by fog, sometimes thick sometimes not as thick, on our way offshore, with whales and on the way inshore today. Luckily, whales were plentiful and we saw some amazing sights! This morning we saw nine minke whales, Blunt the fin whale, humpback whales Spoon and her 2018 calf and an ocean sunfish.

Morning minke whale

As we slowly moved around offshore whales would pop up watching them for a bit before those whales would disappear into the white blanket we were surrounded by.

Massive fin whale body appearing at the surface through the fog

Blunt the fin whale

Our passengers on both trips were phenomenal helpers looking, listening and keeping tabs on anything nearby!

Spoon and her calf through the thick fog

Flurry of wilson's storm petrels on our travels home this morning

This afternoon we saw two ocean sunfish, five minke whales, a fin whale and humpback whales Spoon, her calf, Jabiru and Patches with our adults being quite active! Again, some whales were staying at the surface longer than others.

Minke whale

Ocean sunfish

Spoon flipper-slapping with the same background for the day...fog

At one point a horizon began to form; clearly of fog perhaps? Nope. False hope. Instead, we watched the fog roll back over us moments later. In those critical moments however, a fin whale surfaced and 4 humpback whales were around. Spoon was flipper-slapping when we first came into the area where she was.

A sudden second of slightly clearer conditions while Spoon continued to flipper-slap

Spoon and her calf

Then another whale surfaced nearby and another. Soon we realized Jabiru and Patches were in the vicinity.

Our first sighting of Patches this season!

Patches and Jabiru swimming past us

Eventually Spoon and her calf began to nap and then out in the distance Jabiru and Patches breached multiple times!

Napping whales in the foreground while Patches breaches on the edge of the fog!

Whales, always unpredictable. Even though visibility was far from ideal throughout the entire day today we saw some incredible wildlife in the Gulf of Maine.

A rainbow post-shower during our travels home

This beautiful rainbow was still visible even once we got back to the harbor!