August 5, 2026

We had two beautiful trips today! The weather was absolutely fantastic and the whales were pretty good, too 😉

This morning, we started with a shy group of about 5 harbor porpoises before finding a pile of humpback whales! Our first sighting was of a pair traveling slowly together. Only one of the two were showing their flukes (Bayou), but we knew who the other was due to the distinct dorsal fin shape and the barnacles near its blowholes (Patches)!

We then found another pair of humpback whales before spotting our familiar friend, Pinball!

In the distance, yet another pair of humpbacks were seen! Spoon and Chromosome were taking a nap at the surface, barely moving at all!

A humpback whale breached in the distance, while another one tail-lobbed nearby.

We found another sleepy humpback before heading back in. To our surprise, we saw Pinball once again!

This afternoon, we headed to the general area where we had seen whales in the morning. We got a quick look in passing at a minke whale, and then found a couple of solitary whales- Satula and Owl!!  All three of Blue Ocean Society’s adoptable whales were seen on the same day! Amazing!

Next, a trio of humpback whales showed up! So cool to see three whales swimming side by side!

An ocean sunfish was seen close by so we took a look at that while the whales were down.

Before we knew it, a pair of humpbacks came up. One was Owl, again, but this time she was joined by Spika!

Patches was seen again this afternoon, but this time by himself.  And then we ended our trip watching Spoon and Chromosome, still together, but this time joined by Orion!

It’s so interesting to watch the fluidity of humpback whale associations, since they are typically solitary. I really wonder what they are thinking, who they know, if they know us, and more!  And more importantly, where are the fin whales? We often have a variety of whale species around Jeffreys Ledge, but lately it’s just been predominantly humpbacks. I’m not complaining, but I miss our fin whale friends.

August 4, 2026

With the wind keeping us on land on Monday, we were eager to get back offshore on Tuesday. It was a whale-ful day. On our morning trip, we watched six humpback whales. Most of them were moving around independently, while spouts could be continuously seen in different directions. 

We spent time with Orion, Fan, Cacophony, Zodiac, Pinball, and Alligator. Initially, Zodiac was spending the majority of its time subsurface, but to our astonishment, it changed. Our morning trip ended with Zodiac becoming extremely active. This whale breached multiple times and was doing numerous flipper slaps. Nothing like being in the right place at the right time. So perfectly, unexpectedly stunning. 

Mid tail breach!

Full body breach!

Love the pigmentation on this flipper 

On Tuesday afternoon, we first came across a pod of approximately 40 Atlantic white-sided dolphins. Dolphins are not a common sight, so it was a great way to start our trip.

Atlantic white-sided dolphins (above and below)

Further offshore, we saw nine different humpback whales! Some whales were grouped up, others moving around on their own. It's mesmerizing watching these whales maneuver through the area.

Pair of humpback whales

Humpback whale spout

Individuals included Quote, Valley, Zodiac, Fan, Cacophony, Orion, Alligator, Pinball, and Satula. Oh, and we had two ocean sunfish and a harbor seal, too. What a day!

Subsurface ocean sunfish

August 1-2, 2026

Sea conditions were stunning to start the weekend. There was plenty of marine life to look at on both of Saturday's trips. On Saturday morning, we came across six humpback whales and a nursery pod of approximately 60 Atlantic white-sided dolphins. Individuals included Quote, Thistle, Stance, Clamp, Pinball, and Grommet. With such calm seas, watching anything was breathtaking.

Humpback whale with phalaropes flying by

Glass-like conditions!

Atlantic white-sided dolphins

The seas were so calm, even subsurface, the dolphins were astonishing to watch!

Humpback whale and a few dolphins

Numerous sightings continued on Saturday afternoon. There were a few small pods of Atlantic white-sided dolphins scattered around while we watched eight different humpback whales. Wow. 

Pair of humpback whales

A little extra wiggle as this whale dives

Humpback whale mid flipper-slap!

We had a handful of similar whales to the morning, along with a few extra: Grommet, Quote, Thistle, Stance, Orion, Patches, Clamp, and Spika. There was also a minke whale and a couple of grey seals. What a way to start the month of August!

Grey seal

The breeze returned on Sunday, but the waves didn't, and usually don't, deter the whales. It was a bit of an active day, with lots of whales to watch and some surprises. On Sunday morning, we found eight humpback whales, including a group of four! 

Humpback whales

Whales for the trip included Clamp, Spoon, Chromosome, Quote, Bayou, Thistle, Stance, and Spika. Some of our whales were resting, and some were quite the opposite. We were so fortunate to see a pair breach! 

Breaching whales (above and below)

On Sunday afternoon, our luck continued. We spent time with six humpback whales, including Scylla, Quill, Fan, Alligator, Valley, and Owl. Not sure why most of our sightings had so many "L"s in their names. Maybe because we were so lucky. 😁 

Rainbow blow 😍

We watched some of these whales lunge feed and even a few breaches! 

Hungry humpbacks

Owl was by far the most impressive, with such an extended time of active behaviors: lobtailing, tail breaching, flipper slapping; rinse and repeat!

Flipper!

Owl mid tail-breach!

July 31, 2026

 Poor weather conditions on Thursday kept us on land, but we were treated to beautiful, glassy conditions Friday morning! Our trip began with a pair of humpback whales, Bayou and Patches, as they slowly meandered at the surface for a good long while.

Pair of humpback whales

We said goodbye to our pair and continued along until coming across a third humpback, Scylla. This whale was occasionally feeding just beneath the surface in between periods of travel. We began to move back towards the direction of home as we approached a distant spout, which revealed itself to be another humpback, Pixar. This whale exhibited very similar behavior to Scylla as it fed and travelled near the surface. 

Humpback diving

As we spent time with Pixar, Scylla very briefly associated with this whale, before continuing along. We were about to make our way back towards home when a minke whale surfaced nearby. 

Minke and humpback diving

Once we were on our way back towards home, we stopped briefly to get a look at a minke whale mother/calf pair! The same one we were lucky enough to see for the first time last weekend. 

Minke whale calf

Friday afternoon started off with a bang as we ventured offshore and could see distant splashing being created by a flipper slapping humpback whale.

Distant flipper

After getting closer, we were able to get looks at what was actually a pair of humpbacks, Valley and Alligator. Both of these whales spent much time resting near the surface.

Pair of humpbacks

We eventually left these whales to continue on with their day. After some quick searching, we came across another humpback, Pixar, who was doing some feeding at and just underneath the surface of the ocean. As we were about to leave this humpback, we got very brief looks at a minke whale passing in the distance.

Humpback diving

Minke whale diving

As we pressed on, we were able to get a few more quick looks at Valley and Alligator, before coming across a VERY sleepy fin whale.

Fin whale

This whale spent a lot of time hanging just beneath the surface, very occasionally surfacing for a good breath of air. 

July 27-28, 2026

On Monday morning, the wind was minimal- perfect conditions for spotting wildlife, and we did! We first stopped to see a minke whale before spending time with a pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins. Further offshore, we checked out an ocean sunfish and a basking shark. 

Atlantic white-sided dolphins

Ocean sunfish

Basking shark

We haven't seen a basking shark in weeks; what a fantastic surprise! We ended the trip with a pair of fin whales. Nothing like seeing the second-largest shark and the second-largest whale in the world in one trip!

Fin whale

On Monday afternoon, sightings shifted in a completely different direction. We spent time with four humpback whales, including Fan, Quote, and Pixar. These whales were busy doing some feeding and made for some very impressive moments.

Feeding humpback whales! 

Pair of humpback whales diving

Astonishing lunge-feeding!

Filtering humpback whale

Tuesday morning, we first got a few looks at a fin whale. This whale was spending a LOT of time holding its breath, so we decided to check out some of the other wildlife in the area. 

Fin whale

We saw two minke whales, including one who swam around the boat for almost 15 minutes! I wonder what this whale was thinking the whole time it swam back and forth, watching us watch it. We also had a pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins swim through the area. Lastly, we found Quill, the humpback whale. 

Atlantic white-sided dolphins

Quill filtering out saltwater as it surfaces

Surprise bird sighting of a black tern (we were in MA)

On Tuesday afternoon, we found four humpback whales and a minke whale. We first started with Pixar just a few miles from home! Next, it was Grommet, Pinball, and Clamp. Along with some great looks at the minke whale that swam alongside us for a bit, it was a wonderful way to finish up the day. 

Minke whale