Today was filled with some of the largest creatures on earth. This morning we had 2 Fin whales and this afternoon we were back in the same area where there were 4 Fin whales around. The breeze felt on land was not reaching offshore this morning which gave us some beautiful conditions for whale spotting. We got a chance to show our full boat of kids a couple of the second largest animals in the world. What perfect conditions to truly get a sense as to just how large these 60+ft animals really are.
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| Fin whale are so big!!! |
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| "Fin"tastic look at the white lower jaw above the waterline of this Fin whale |
Nothing like hearing the "ohhhhs" and "ahhhhhhs" from all around the boat as this young generation of minds became elated in seeing such incredible creatures. We were even fortunate enough to find a whale we know to be at least 30 years old, Fin whale #9618.
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| Fin whale #9618 |
This whale is so much older than all the kids we had sharing in our experience today. How very cool. We even found an unexpected find offshore. Called a Monkfish veil this ribbon-like object (seen below) are Monk fish eggs awaiting to hatch.
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| Monkfish veil |
We certainly have fun pointing out all the different and interesting things we may see during any one of our trips.
This afternoon we ventured back offshore and got a chance to see some of the exact same whales from this morning dart all around the area. They were circling, moving around quickly and even slightly rolling under the water.
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| One of our afternoon Fin whales |
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| This
photo is of a Fin whale. The fin seen on the right is the whale's
dorsal fin and the tip seen above the water on the left is actually the
tip of this whale's tail! |
A few of the Fin whales we were watching were literally surfacing in completely opposite directions each time they took a breath, all within a matter of seconds! So cool seeing a 60+ton whale change directions so rapidly! We look forward to seeing what the Ledge has in store for us when we are back out there once again tomorrow.
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| Another great day with some great whale sightings! |
It was a beautiful day with our sixth grade group. The seas were flat, making it much easier for our landlubber kids to get used to the sea. Wonderful fin whale activity, and excellent information from our guides from Blue Ocean Society. This is always a highlight of our school year! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt is always a pleasure having you all on board! Nothing beats showing people, especially children, some of the most massive and impressive creatures on earth. Hearing "they're soooooo big" and their pure excitement certainly puts a smile on our faces knowing that these kids got to experience a little bit of wildlife in their watery habitat. Mix that all up with some gorgeous weather and it most certainly was another successful outing with you all. See you again next year!
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