Our weekend adventures started on Saturday morning with a pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins. There were a few calves in this pod of approximately 50. Dolphins always put a smile on our faces, so this sighting was a great way to start the trip.
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| Atlantic white-sided dolphins (above and below) |
Further offshore, we found numerous humpback whales. We saw a total of seven. These whales included Clamp, Spoon, Fan, Patches, Satula, and Owl.
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Trio of humpback whales!
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| Humpback whale flipper |
On our travels home, we found another humpback whale inside the Isles of Shoals (thanks, Captain Pete on the UO!). This whale was a reality check of what all whales are susceptible to daily. This whale had a recent propeller injury across its back. If you ever find yourself on the water, is it sooooooooo important to be vigilant of all the marine life that lives in the ocean. Remember, we are just visitors to their watery world.
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| Humpback whale with a propeller injury around its dorsal fin |
Saturday afternoon, we once again found our whale of concern, miles from where we had seen it just a few hours ago. When whales want to move, they move. This whale was continuously flipper-slapping, allowing for photo-documentation of as much of this whale's body as we could capture.
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| Humpback whale flipper |
After thorough documentation, we continued offshore and spent time with eight other humpback whales. Individuals included Pitcher, Valley, Chromosome, Spoon, Grommet, Owl, Fan, and Jabiru.
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Pair of humpback whales
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| Valley diving |
It's so fun seeing some whales still residing in the area, others returning after a few months' hiatus, and first-time visitors to the Jeffreys Ledge region this year. Thank you, whales, for being yourselves, being a reminder of your threats, and being a hopeful sign of what wildlife is capable of.
On Sunday morning, we spent time with five humpback whales and a pod of 100 Atlantic white-sided dolphins. Humpback whales included Pitcher, Satula, Spoon, Chromosome, and Fan. Our dolphin pod included numerous calves. There were so many whales to look at!
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| Atlantic white-sided dolphins (above and below) |
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| Trio of humpback whales |
We also had a quick look at a grey seal and even a porbeagle shark. On Sunday afternoon, we spent time watching humpback whales Sigma, Grommet, Valley, Chromosome, and Satula. These whales were keeping us on our toes. They shifted their associations, coming together, separating, and pairing up again.
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| Whale tails in the air! |
Grommet was active lobtailing and flipper slapping amongst all the whale spouts surrounding us. What another wonderful weekend full of moments in the Gulf of Maine!
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Humpback tail (left) and flipper (right) in the air
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| SUPER high fluking dive! |
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