Sunday, June 11

The heat arrived in full force today so while it was sweltering on land that was far from the case out on the water. The ocean takes a LONG time to warm up, and that's only the surface of the ocean, so the when the ocean water is still in the low 50s that is what we feel when we spend the afternoon surrounded by that large body of water. Luckily, the whales are on a mission to find food and the Gulf of Maine provides all sorts of marine life the food necessary for survival in these nutrient-rich waters. Today we were privy to encounter at least 6 fin whales, a minke whale and a basking shark during our trip.

First fin whale of the trip

Minke whale

The sleek body of a fin whale can cause these massive mammals to move through the water with such ease and sometimes with minimal visual cues at the surface

One fin whale we spent time with was resting while the rest were seen circling around, most likely chasing down lots of food in the water column. We even took a quick break from whale watching to check out a basking shark nearby.

Basking shark dorsal fin seen above the waterline

It is always enjoyable to watch the food chain in action. The basking shark feeds on plankton, the fin whales feed on small schooling fish that are feeding on the plankton and the birds above attempt to capture any scraps left behind! Nature certainly provided plenty to look at and experience today.

Another fin whale seen today