October 8-9, 2022

The day has arrived as we officially wrapped up our 2022 whale watching schedule this holiday weekend. Numerous whales were seen on both trips, some more visual than others. On Saturday we first attempted to watch a fin whale but it was not spending much time at the surface. Further offshore we found a pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins. These toothed whales are always fun to watch.

Dolphin

Out on Jeffreys Ledge, we came into an area where there were at least 12 humpback whales!

Diving humpback whale

Part of a fluke

Midway through a lobtail

Groupings of these baleen whales included Cacophony, A-plus, Satula, Pitcher, Campground (thanks Dianna!), Orion, Tectonic, Nile, Valley, Ravine and Rattan. So much to watch as these whales moved around the area. We ended the day with an ocean sunfish to wrap up the variety of marine life.

Ocean sunfish

The cool wind had us all bundled up on Sunday as we ventured offshore. We ended up finding two fin whales, three humpback whales and two different pods of Atlantic white-sided dolphins! The fin whales were being slightly elusive but eventually showed themselves.

Fin whale on the move

We spent time with humpback whales Ibex and I.T. soon become associated with a pod of ~12 Atlantic white-sided dolphins.

Humpback whale

 Atlantic white-sided dolphin

Another humpback whale showed itself (still unidentified at the moment) before finding a pod of ~75 Atlantic white-sided dolphins during our travels home.

Atlantic white-sided dolphin cruising through the waves

With the season coming to a close we thank you all for joining us on a trip(s!), following us on social media and sharing in our moments with wildlife. The marine environment is a special place and we hope your experience with us produced memories for life.

October 7, 2022

We were so relieved to get back out on the water on Friday. It had been almost a week since we were last out, and we didn’t know what to expect. Well, mother nature delivered, big time! Our first encounter of the day was an absolute feeding frenzy. We spotted hundreds of birds from a couple of miles away, and then some splashing at the surface. When we arrived in this area, we were surrounded by dolphins, northern gannets, and gulls. There were at least 200 Atlantic white-sided dolphins in this group. Much to our surprise, we noticed that some of these dolphins were not like the others: they were common dolphins! Despite their name, these are not a common species in our area, and to see them in a mixed pod was even more special.

Northern gannets

Common dolphins

Atlantic white-sided dolphins

After spending some time with these animals, we found a humpback whale. This turned out to be a male named Ibex, also called Mr. Burns by some other whale watchers. This was also a special encounter, as we have never seen Ibex on Jeffrey’s Ledge before! We spotted a blow in the distance and headed in that direction. This whale was below the surface for a bit, and we even spotted our feeding frenzy again. We headed back to the dolphins and birds, and a second humpback popped up in the chaos! This was a female named I.T. This was our first time seeing her this season. We let the dolphins and birds go and spent some time with I.T. Before heading back to the harbor, we stopped by the feeding frenzy again to enjoy this rare sight. A wonderful start to our last weekend!

October 1, 2022

Happy October! We are into our last week of the 2022 season. Where has the time gone? We are grateful for all our passengers who have joined us and the whales who have spent time in our section of the Gulf of Maine. As our season begins to wind down, the whales are still going strong. Today's trip included nine humpback whales, with other exhalations visible in the distance.

Our first sighting included five whales with pairs from there on out. Identified humpback whales included Jawa, Valley, Grommet, Pinball, Dross, Pitcher, Satula, Cacophony and Gondolier.

We even checked out an ocean sunfish. Tomorrow's trip has been canceled so check back in later this week once we get back on the open sea. Don't forget to pack your jacket, hat and gloves if you are scheduled to join us this week, fall is in the air!

Ocean sunfish

September 30, 2022

Fall was definitely here on Friday! The cool crisp breeze was with us throughout the trip. We first came across a humpback whale that was taking long dives (15-17 minutes). This turned out to be Gunslinger, a whale first spotted in 2001. 

After leaving this whale, we came across another humpback named Satula. He was also taking longer dives, but thankfully surfaced fairly close to the boat each time, giving passengers some wonderful views. 

On our way back to the harbor we spotted a minke whale and a few harbor porpoises.

Minke whale missing most of its dorsal fin

Mt. Agamenticus behind the Isles of Shoals

September 28, 2022

Today’s trip started out slow. Very slow. The first two humpback whales we found were staying under for 20 minutes and 14 minutes, respectively. And when they did reappear, they were far away. Not very conducive for whale-watching. More like whale-waiting. 

Distant humpback whale

We radioed a fishing boat nearby and heard that there had been several whales around just an hour or so earlier, so we knew they couldn’t be all that far away. We headed a few miles north and found two groups of whales- a pair and a trio!

The pair was quickly identified as Gondolier and Pitcher. Although Pitcher has been seen in the area recently, Gondolier hasn’t been around since May! At one point, Gondolier surfaced very close by, surprising us all!

Humpback east of Isles of Shoals

Then, seeing three whales all lined up side by side was amazing! This second group included Valley, Jawa and Gunslinger! Valley did her signature high-fluking dives while Jawa barely lifted his tail.

We found a large pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins on our way home! Dozens of juvenile northern gannets accompanied these animals! It was quite the feeding frenzy!

 

Certainly, a wonderful day on the ocean even though the trip started out pretty slowly!! We just never know what the day will bring.

September 23-25, 2022

Fall is officially here! As our 2022 season continues to fly by, the whales continue to mosey around our small section of the Gulf of Maine. Trips were canceled on Friday and Saturday as Hurricane Fiona left her imprint on the ocean as she passed by offshore. As the swell settled, we were ready for what we may find on Sunday. In total, we saw nine humpback whales.

Similar behaviors continued with recent trips as some whales rested while others were moving here and there.

Trio of humpback whales

Midway through a roll

Whales identified included Valley, Jawa, Tear, Cacophony, Owl and her calf, Sword, and Fan. The region continues to flourish with whales returning from earlier in the season, some residing and new ones appearing; wildlife at its finest.

September 21, 2022

Today was a perfect fall day (although technically the last day of summer) with crisp clear skies and just a little breeze. Our first whale was our familiar humpback whale friend, Satula! He was taking short dives and blowing clouds of bubbles to theoretically coral his prey!

 

Next, we found a pair of humpbacks that were snoozing in the afternoon sun. Eventually, they woke up and dove nearby. Then one blew a large cloud of bubbles and surfaced next to it! That was Jabiru, another familiar friend. Jabiru was with a new visitor for the year, Cacophony, on and off.

Our fourth humpback whale was Chromosome, who was less than cooperative, taking long dives and moving far distances in between.

 

A minke whale and blue shark rounded out the trip!

September 17-18, 2022

The weather on Saturday was pristine. A crisp clear horizon coupled with calm seas made for beautiful conditions - a great combination for spotting whales. We ended up spending the day with pairs of whales. We first found humpback whales Ase and Touchdown.

Pair of humpback whales

We then spent time with a pair of fin whales, a type of whale that has been absent during recent trips. What a fun treat!

Pair of fin whales

Fin whale

We wrapped up the day with another pair of humpback whales: Sword and Crown.

Sword lobtailing

The revolving door of whales continued on Sunday with familiar individuals and newcomers for the season. In total, we saw eight humpback whales, a pod of 40 Atlantic white-sided dolphins, and an ocean sunfish.

Atlantic white-sided dolphins

Ocean sunfish

Identified humpback whales included Pitcher, Owl and her calf, Sword, Clamp, and Patches.

Owl and her calf

Some whales were feeding while others were resting. It's always enjoyable to see different sides of the wildlife behavior spectrum!

Humpback whales diving

Humpback whales surfacing after a bubble cloud