Thursday, July 3

Everyday is different but today felt as if almost every hour out on the water was different. This morning we were surrounded by fog for most of the morning as it would look as if the fog would start to lift before socking back in once again in no time flat.

White Island Lighthouse was nonexistent as we passed by the Shoals this morning

We searched and searched and searched for whale activity. Alas, the hours of staring as far as possible into the fog to look for whale activity final paid off as on our of our eagle-eyed crew members picked up a whale. A Fin whale was suddenly close by! This whale was on the move as we maneuvered over 3 miles with it as this whale moved from here to there and back in another direction.

Thanks Ryan for finding us this Fin whale!

We were able to get some great looks at this large whale as our efforts for looking for so long were rewarded with this great find of this adult female.

Fin whale #9709 cruising through the area

This afternoon we left the harbor in hazy conditions and then quickly found ourselves in the worst fog of the day yet. Soon enough though we broke out of it and continued further offshore. We first spent time with 2 Minke whales darting around. We ended up watching one of the whales that was spending a bit more time at the surface.

Minke whale

This whale is actually an animal we have already seen this season thanks to its extremely uniquely shaped dorsal fin. Our next stop was on the Fin whale we had spotted during our morning travels. As much as this whale had be speeding through the area in the morning it was still around this afternoon. However, by no means had this whale changed up its behavior from the time we spent with it this morning. It was once again on the move. This time however, instead of heading to the southwest this whale was pointed directly to the northeast.

Fin whale #9709 again this afternoon (above and below)

As this whale continued with its linear movements we were able to time our movements on the boat to keep up and get some great looks at this animal.  Soon we were out of time which turned out to be a good thing as some dark clouds were moving over land and out to sea.

Stormy clouds

As is always the case not only do we make sure to maneuver safely around whales we are always tracking the unpredictable weather that comes with the warmer temperatures during the summer months. So we began to make our way back home by sneaking behind one of these cells. A good freshwater rinse just before we got back to the harbor was our only added excitement and soon the day ended with one more surprise, a rainbow over Rye Harbor!

The M/V Granite State at the end of a rainbow

Double rainbow over Rye Harbor