Saturday, June 20

Several minke whales and a humpback whale were spotted on both trips today! 

This morning we started out with a quick passing look at a harbor seal. Then we passed by a minke whale before finding a humpback whale!  This whale was Sedge, a humpback who has been seen a few times this season already.

Sedge  was taking short dives and then surprised us with a couple of tail-breaches! That's when the whale throws the lower half of its body out of the water, creating a huge splash.  After spending some time with Sedge, we decided to continue our search and found some more minke whales.

One of these minkes was acting elusive at first but then appeared to be curious about the boat. It was a juvenile, based on its small size, and it repeatedly swam along side the bow, similar to how dolphins sometimes will  bow-ride.

We had a bit of time left in the trip so we headed back for a few more minutes with Sedge before heading home.

This afternoon, we started off with some less than cooperative minke whales, making sightings a bit difficult. But then we found a minke who was spending some time on the surface and and came close to the boat!

Not far away we spotted a humpback whale- Sedge once again! Great to see him still hanging out in the area! This afternoon he was blowing some clouds of bubbles to help corral his prey- likely mackerel or herring.   Another minke whale was also close by.

Also, for an added surprise, we spotted a basking shark jumping out of the water nearby! No photos of that split-second activity but at least a few of our passengers witnessed it with me! Such a great day on the ocean! We never know what to expect.