July 21-22, 2022

July 21, 2022

We were greeted by a hazy horizon on Thursday morning, but it was still much-needed relief from the hot, humid weather inshore. We were able to spend time with a total of three humpback whales: Diablo, Pinball, and Clamp.  These whales gave us some great looks between dives.

 

On our way back to Rye Harbor, we were surprised by some splashing in the distance. It turned out to be a breaching minke whale! This was a younger whale, possibly only a few years old. Our passengers were treated to over 50 breaches, which even continued as we left the area. 

Severe storms kept us tied to the dock in the afternoon, but what a wonderful morning trip!

July 22, 2022

This morning we started to head to the area where we had whales yesterday but got sidetracked by some blows before we got there! Three humpback whales were in the area, including one single and one pair! The single whale has yet to be identified even though we got a nice look at its flukes. Maybe it's a new visitor!!

The pair of humpback whales was a mother and calf! The calf followed mom around and even dove in perfect synchrony with her!

A large fin whale showed up, amazing us all with its size and grace.

Our trip home was glassy calm and our captain spotted a pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins! Perfect conditions for viewing these little, toothed whales above and below the surface!

The extreme heat continued Friday afternoon, and our passengers were relieved to get out on the water. We first came across a pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins. There were about 50 individuals in this group, including a few calves! 

When we arrived on Jeffreys Ledge, there were several humpback whales in the area, along with many boats. We first came across Clamp, and even spotted Dross in the distance going on a dive. A harbor seal popped up quickly also. We wanted to give these whales a little more room with all the boats around, so we headed to a more open area and found Valley and Tripod traveling together. These two whales exhibited a behavior known as logging; they were taking quick naps at the surface between dives. When whales rest, they look like logs floating at the surface.

After leaving Valley and Tripod, we found a whale named Quill. This male humpback gave passengers some beautiful last looks before we headed home. On our way back, we got quick looks at a blue shark and a small group of harbor porpoises. A great start to the weekend!