Wednesday, August 12

We could not have asked for better conditions during our whale watching adventures today. There was a small swell first thing this morning, a result of the active ocean yesterday, but as the day went on the swell continued to subside. This morning we started our trip with an Ocean sunfish just past the Isles of Shoals.

Ocean sunfish

After a quick look we pressed on offshore. We then came across a few Minke whales that were extremely cooperative, allowing for some phenomenal looks at most of the 8 Minke whales seen throughout the trip.

Minke whale surfacing for a breath of air

Minke whale

Yet another great look at a different Minke whale

Thanks to our phenomenal Blue Ocean Society interns, Corie and Lauren, they informed us of a few spouts they had seen out in the distance. There were two Humpback whales out there! As we watched these whales circle around the area, poof, a third whale suddenly appeared in the mix!

Humpback whale tail

We had our familiar tails: Quill and #0050, but also a returnee this season. Highlighter is back. We first saw this whale May 25 of this year and was excited to find this whale back in our area again this morning!

Gorgeous sea conditions as Highlighter is at the surface

All 3 of these whales were darting around the area, constantly changing directions, as we watched them appear on all sides of the boat.

With our engines shut off we enjoyed watching whales show up all around us!

Close look at this Humpback whale as it swam right past our boat!

This afternoon we headed back offshore but this time we first stopped on a whale larger than any of the whales we had seen already today. A massive Fin whale (Fin whales are the second-largest animals on Earth!) was cruising through the area.

Fin whale back and dorsal fin

We checked out this whale for a bit before maneuvering towards a few spouts we were seeing ahead of us. The same Humpback whales we had seen during our morning trip were still out and about this afternoon. All 3 whales were circling so tightly around the area that we spent most of the time shut down watching in awe as these whales moved through the water with such ease and maneuverability around each other.

Quill just off our port side

Highlighter

Quill

We even had a couple of Minke whales surface close by before disappearing below the waterline as we sat there floating at the surface. What a spectacular way to spend the afternoon; surrounded by wildlife in their natural habitat on a beautiful summer day. Our travels home provided a few more Minke whale sightings (5 in total) including a few inside the Isles of Shoals. A successful and very enjoyable day on the Atlantic Ocean.

On our ride home we enjoyed the scenery of the Isles of Shoals with the calm seas surrounding us