Monday, July 17

This morning the ocean was as calm as calm can be. Any ripple at the surface had the potential for marine life. We ended up seeing 4 harbor seals, 10 minke whales and 3 fin whales. Minke whales were here and there.

This first minke whale of the day was a bit "tiny" compared to other minke whales we typically find

While watching a few of our minke whales, out of the depths of the ocean, a pair of fin whales surfaced close to the boat. It was our first mother and calf fin whale pair of the season! What a special surprise.

Fin whale mother and calf pair barely making a ripple at the surface

Perhaps what was equally as impressive was the amount of time mom was holding her breath. She consistently remained under the waterline for 20 minutes at a time!

Mom

Fin whale calf!

We got some nice looks at this pair and even found another single fin whale nearby. After a few more minke whales we were headed for home.

Third fin whale of the morning

Another morning minke whale

This afternoon our patience was tested. We saw 4 fin whales but most of them were being extremely uncooperative. We would see their spouts in the distance only to wait and not be able to relocate them. Our 2 minke whales were equally as tricky. Eventually, our odds changed in our favor! We got some fin-tastic looks at the same mother-calf fin whale pair we had seen during our morning trip. And guess what? Mom was still taking 20 minutes dives. 😉

Fin whale

Fin whale mother and calf swimming alongside us this afternoon