The 2024 season has arrived! The salt air and cool ocean temperatures reminded us of what we have been waiting for since last season. It seems like ages, and yet, just moments, since we were last out on our public trips. This weekend, we enjoyed seeing many familiar faces and newcomers wanting to share in the wild aspect of whale watching in the Jeffreys Ledge area. On Saturday, we started with a large pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins, approximately 75 in total. These zippy creatures were mesmerizing.
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| Atlantic white-sided dolphin |
Throughout our travels, we spotted four pods of these toothed whales! Before turning for home, we came across a large fin whale.
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Fin whale
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Thanks to
Blue Ocean Society's Data Coordinator, Kaela, she matched our fin whale to a whale first documented in this area in 2012!
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| Fin whale #1256 |
On Sunday, the trip started with a minke whale before spotting a few small pods of Atlantic white-sided dolphins.  |
| Minke whale |
The wind was minimal, so the surrounding scenery of the water throughout our travels was stunning. Thanks to our fellow whale-watching friends, we also got the chance to spend time with two humpback whales - Grommet and Wish.  |
| Pair of humpback whales |
These humpback whales were not spending long intervals below the surface and even were sighted filtering, an active sign of feeding!  |
| Humpback whales filtering |
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| Humpback whale tail |
The trip wrapped up with our first basking shark of the season! Nothing like a variety of marine life to start off the 2024 season. Our next whale watches are next weekend, so stay tuned for updates! |
| Basking shark |
