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.