We may not have seen the sun throughout the whole trip today but the seas were once again in our favor as it was flat as flat calm as it could be again today. Just perfect condition for whale watching. Our first stop of the day was a Minke whale as we headed out towards Jeffreys Ledge. But this wasn't just any old Minke whale. It was Scar Minke, a whale that was photographed aboard the
Granite State in 1995 (due to the dedication and fascination of whales in the area even years ago)! This whale has been known to spend time in our area for 19 years!!!
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| This Minke whale is the most documented Minke whale seen on Jeffreys Ledge. Great to see you again Scar Minke! |
That amount of time, almost two decades, is quite impressive for a species of whale that can be tricky to get looks at. What a phenomenal way to start our trip with today.
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| You
can really see the large indentation just in front of this Minke
whale's dorsal fin. This whale has looked like this ever since it was first seen
in 1995 so whatever the impact this whale encountered years ago we are
thrilled to know it is still doing well |
We then made our way to the Ledge and spent some time with a single Fin whale. This whale was spending a bit of time in the depths of the ocean but managed to get some very nice looks as this whale eventually slowed down a bit.
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| Fin whale about to go on a dive |
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| Fin whale body and dorsal fin |
We headed a bit further offshore before we knew we'd be out of time for further exploration and saw a pair of spouts out in the distance. Soon we were watching a pair of Fin whales on the move together. And then it got even better. Low and behold who did we have swimming alongside us? It was another VERY familiar whale. Ladder the Fin whale is back on Jeffreys Ledge!!!!! This whale was first seen in the Gulf of Maine in 1984, meaning this whale is at least 30 years old and is very much a regular to Jeffreys Ledge. On top of that this whale is almost always seen swimming with another Fin whale, even though this species as a whole are known to be solitare animals.
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| Ladder the Fin whale (with its scar visible forward of its dorsal fin) while its "friend" breaks the surface in the foreground |
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| The other Fin whale, or "friend," Ladder was swimming around with |
Some incredible sightings with incredible conditions made for quite the treat whale watching today.
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| Fin whale spouts on the flat calm ocan |
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