Wednesday August 7

My oh my weren't we lucky today. Thanks to our fishing boat friends we were able to check out some Atlantic white-sided dolphins during both of our trips today! Our morning started off with some great looks at an Ocean Sunfish spending time at the surface.

First sighting of the day, an Ocean sunfish!

Soon we were off as we headed to some reports of whale activity on Jeffreys Ledge. With the ocean being so calm this morning it was awesome to watch a group of Atlantic white-sided dolphins as they created their own surface disturbances as they chased, and maneuvered themselves around the area.

The flat calm ocean and our morning pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins (above and below)

This group was being so mellow we were able to shut down the boat and listen to these whales as they came to the surface producing constant "poofs" as they exhaled. So incredible to not only see but listen to these wild whales as they go about their day. 

Dolphins

This whale came clear out of the water right next to the boat and somehow managed to get a snapshot of it before it reentered the water!

Leaping through our wake as we left our dolphins

We were also fortunate enough to watch two Minke whales after we left the dolphins. One of these whales was spending a bit more time on the surface giving us the opportunity to check out these types of whales as well this morning.

During our afternoon travels we were once again headed toward a group of Atlantic white-sided dolphins to start off our whale watch. One of the fishing boat on their way back to land came across these whales. We made our way over and were once again privy to spend time with such agile mammals. 

Dolphins dolphins everywhere!

This group was constantly darting around and showing up on all sides of the boat. Another spectacular time spent with these toothed-whales. Further offshore we came across one, two, three Minke whales as well! While watching one of these animals another one suddenly surfaced close by. Then out in the distance another dorsal fin was at the surface. At one point we had all three of these whales close by! Before leaving we even got the chance to have a Minke whale on either side of the boat. We were sandwiched between these whales! No matter where you were whales could be seen off both sides of the boat. What a great day today. And of course we cannot forget to wish two very special ladies a Happy Birthday! Surely not everyone can say they were able to spend your special day with Minke whales and Atlantic white-sided dolphins!

Atlantic white-sided dolphin faces!

Tuesday, August 6th

Tuesday's weather in the morning made me think of fall. where the temperatures were quiet cool, but things things warmed up nicely through out the day.  We started in an area where we had received reports of whale activity from a fishing vessel as they were headed further offshore themselves.  Since we were not that far away, we decided to explore that area in hopes of relocating any whales that may still be there.  After searching for a little while, we came up short.  In the interest of time, we continued on our way to other areas of Jeffrey's Ledge in hopes that we would find whales.

After traveling an additional 5 miles, we started to see splashing in the distance.  We had found some Atlantic white sided dolphins!  It was quite a big pod as well, with over 50 of them swimming all around the boat.  We even saw a blue shark swim by underneath the bow as we were watching all the dolphins.  We were able to spend quality time with them and even had them ride in our wake.  With ideal condition to view dolphins, there is truly nothing better than seeing them in their natural habitat.

We then moved onto a different area of the ledge where we found 2 different Minke whales who spent the majority of their time at the surface and staying in close proximity to where were were.

On our way home we found a very nice Ocean Sunfish and it was a great way to end our morning trip.

In the afternoon we found one of the best Minke whales we've had in quite awhile about 12 miles from Rye.  This whale spent the majority of the time along the surface and gave everyone on board great looks!  Minke whales are known as the little piked whales due to their pointed snout that is seen first as they break the water's surface.  What a great whale for us to see!

We were able to find a second Minke whale offshore on Jeffrey's Ledge and shortly after finding this whale, we received reports from another whale watch vessel that there was different activity in the area.  We were about 5  miles away from that area and so in the interest of time, we decided to try our luck to see if we could possibly relocate the activity that was reported.  After traveling  for a little bit longer than anticipated we were starting to think that we may not be able to relocate the activity that had been reported.  Then, we started to see lots of splashing about a mile away and we had relocated lots of dolphins.  This happened to be a different pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins where there were over a hundred individuals and they spread out over about a mile.  

It was such a nice way to finish out our trip and the day as a whole.  A big thank you to everyone who joined us.  We hope to see you again soon.

Sunday August 4

This morning we came across a Minke whale before we even got to Jeffreys Ledge. This whale kept surfacing on either side of the boat but would only take a single breath every few minutes making predicting where and when this whale was going to surface next a bit challenging. As we spent time with this whale, out of the blue, another Minke whale was seen moving in towards our direction. This whale was at the surface much more frequently and thus ended up being much more conducive to whale watching as we got the chance to spend some quality time with this animal as it moved around the area.

Morning Minke whale sighting (above and below)

After getting some great looks at this whale we ventured further offshore to search for other animals. We did plenty of searching but were unable to find anything else. Wild animals certainly do a great job of not being seen when they chose so all we can do is try and hope it works out!

This afternoon before we were a mile from home we had a sighting. It was a fish; an Ocean sunfish was just outside of Rye Harbor! This fish was on the move so we spent most of the time seeing the tell-tale sign of its dorsal fin waving up and down on the ocean's surface as this fish moved through the water.

Only the tip of this Ocean sunfish's fin can be seen above the waterline as the rest of this fish resides just below

Less than 10 miles from home we ended up stopping yet again. This time it was a Minke whale. This whale was also doing a great job surfacing on either side of the boat (completely by chance as this whale would alter course constantly) and we watched this whale swim around us for a bit. 

Afternoon Minke whale

We were then hearing of more whale activity not too far away, thanks to our friends also out on the water, and so we pressed on after getting some nice looks at this Minke whale. A small pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins were being reported only a few miles away. After maneuvering into the area and taking a good look around, small fins suddenly appeared near by! We had found this group of 6-10 whales on the move.

Atlantic white-sided dolphin

And when I say on the move I mean these whales were cruising! They were moving so quickly and easily through the water they would create quite the disturbance as they swam at the surface. What a fun sighting to see these marine mammals book-it through the area!

Lots of white water is at the surface as these dolphins charge through the area at such a quick speed!

These whales were on a mission and eventually continued on their way leaving us to go search for more whales.  Before running out of time we were once again heading to a report of more toothed-whales. More dolphins were in the area! 

Another pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins beyond Appledore Island!

This group of Atlantic white-sided dolphins were behaving quite differently than our first pod for they were definitely doing some feeding. These whales were constantly darting in a tight circle and had a few terns flying above them (hoping for any leftover scraps!) as these whales were going after some late lunch items. This group had about 20 whales moving through the water together, including some youngsters in the mix. 

Even though this is the back half of these dolphins bodies check out the drastic size difference of all three whales!

Not only were we fortunate enough to see one group of dolphins but two different pods all in one trip was quite the rarity considering we typically only see Atlantic white-sided dolphins on 20-25% of our whale watches!

Dolphin fins at the surface!

Today certainly was another unexpected day of sightings as whales moved in, out, and around the area!

Saturday August 3

This morning's trip had an unwelcome surprise as the weather was pretty much exactly the opposite of what the forecast was calling for. Instead of sunny skies, no wind, and calm seas it turned out to be mainly cloudy skies, a nice swell, and just enough wind to make the ride a bit up and down. Alas the sun finally came out and the seas calmed (eventually) but hey, we go with the flow, and like to use the forecast more as a guideline not so much as a definite fact. :)  Anyway we found a Minke whale quite inshore of Jeffreys Ledge. 

Minke whale (above and below)

Based on the photographs taken today I do believe it is even the same whale we saw yesterday afternoon! This Minke whale was still moving through the area and allowed for us to get some great looks at this wild mammal. We then headed further offshore to search for other whales but came up short. Searching other areas of the ocean is how we find whales so if we don't go searching we may not know if more whales are around. Sometimes we get lucky and find them and sometimes we don't but, if you don't try you'll never know!

This afternoon we headed back to where we had spotted our Minke whale from this morning. No luck. We were not seeing it. So we pressed on to other areas where whales have been. We ended up in an area where we were able to relocate another Minke whale. Great, a whale! Oh wait...not so great. This animal was only taking a couple breaths at the surface, moving around a lot, and with other boats in the area we decided it was best to see if we could perhaps find another whale to look at. Our travels continued and soon we were seeing splashing in the distance. Could it be? Yep, there were dolphins ahead of us! There were only a few whales in the group and got some great looks as they surfaced in our wake and alongside the boat before diving below the ocean surface. 

Two of the four Atlantic white-sided dolphins we saw for a brief moment in time this afternoon

Then we waited and waited some more. Really? Again? These dolphins had disappeared. We soon came to realize that as easily as these whales had appeared they also decided to disappear just as quickly.

The whales appeared to not be on our side today but as we have seen in the past they are constantly switching things up on us so we shall see what the ocean has in store for us once again tomorrow!

Friday August 2

Today we got a chance to get some great looks at a Minke whale charging around this afternoon. We actually had two Minke whales in the area but half way through watching our first whale this animal swapped positions with another whale nearby. Our first Minke whale was surfacing for a couple breaths every 8-10 minutes at a time. This was making the process of actually watching a whale a bit challenging. As we continued to follow this whale and wait patiently for a couple good looks (which eventually occurred) suddenly, just like that, we ended up following a different Minke whale. Two whales crossed paths somewhere underneath the water for soon we were watching another whale that had a different shape to its dorsal fin; a clear indication that another whale was next to us.

Minke whale and our friends aboard the Captain's Lady 3

We of course didn't recognize the difference until later on in the trip when we had a moment to check out our photographs. Sometimes even we get out-witted by these whales! Regardless of which whale we were watching this animal was spending much more time at the surface, and charging around, creating lots of white water at the surface.

One of our Minke whales



Minke whale on the move!

We also got a chance to check out the Eagle, the U.S. Coast Guard training vessel which was headed to Portsmouth this afternoon. 

The Eagle underway

What an impressive ship to see as the 300ft Eagle houses 80 U.S.C.G. crew and 120 cadets!


Did you know the Eagle has 5 miles of rigging and 200 lines that are individually named? Hope you are a fast learner in order to sail this incredible ship!

Thursday August 1

Well today did not go quite as planned. We saw whales on both our morning and afternoon trips but those whales certainly appeared as if they had no desire to be watched for long throughout the day. Multiple Minke whales were seen all day but almost every time we made our way to where the whale was it would only spend a couple of breaths at the surface and then disappear. Relocating them once they came back up proved to work (as is usually the case) a handful of times but the whales were definitely winning in the game of hide-and-seek out on Jeffreys Ledge today. 

One of the Minke whales seen this morning

Then again all the whales always dictate what we will or won't see. They are out searching for food and if they are on the move we have to attempt to predict what direction they are moving while they spend 5-10+ minutes under the water at any given time. Ever try covering your eyes for that length of time and then trying to find someone who moved at varying speeds in a direction only the "hider" knows? Exactly....pretty challenging stuff. Today the whales reminded us that these wild animals have a mind all their own and they can, and very easily cannot, be conducive to us trying to watch them. The good news is while some whales were a bit challenging than others we did get to check out a few of our whales today. 

Minke whale near Boon Island this afternoon

The tip of this Minke whale's tail (right) and the dorsal fin (left) as it swims along the surface

We even saw a distant breach as one animal created quite the splash 3 times out on the horizon this morning. This afternoon we also got a chance to swing by Boon Island to check out the local seal hangout which ended up having a handful of these mammals both on the rocks and in the water.

Lots of seals on the rocks at Boon Island (look where the light colored rocks become darker and that's where all the seals are!)

Seals looking at us looking at them

Just as we always say, every day is different and today was just that.

Wednesday, July 31st

Another picture perfect day was on tap as we left the harbor in the morning to search for whales.  We started only about 3 miles from Rye with a very unique Minke whale.  This particular minke whale las left without a dorsal fin after some type of human interaction.  We actually saw this whale last season and the wound was quite fresh with pink flesh showing through and white tissue along the edges, showing us that the wound was starting to heal.

Notice the large area of white scarring where the dorsal fin used to be

We saw this whale again today and the scar is all white now, showing us that it has healed up quite nicely.  We are just very happy that this Minke survived to tell its story and that it swimming around with no problems.

We continued on past the Isles of shoals and headed towards an area where other whale activity was spotted late the previous evening.  Its always a chance you take in searching an area 12+ hours after a sighting, with no guarantee those whales would still be offshore on Jeffrey's Ledge.  But, it was a beautiful day and the conditions could not have been better for sighting whales.  Throughout our travel, we saw a total of 8 different Minke whales and as we started to run out of time for further exploration offshore, our Captain spotted a spout from a whale about a mile away.  We were very short on time, but really wanted to see what was there.  As we approached, the whale started to go on a deeper dive raising its tail high above the water's surface.  It turned out to be a male Humpback whale named Hornbill, first identified in 1977.  Even though we had a short period of time to spend with this whale as it had taken us 28 miles from Rye harbor, it was great to know that Hornbill was back on Jeffrey's Ledge continuing to feed

One of our many Minke whales from the morning

Hornbill

 In the afternoon we started to head slightly South from where we had left Hornbill in the morning because he started heading in that direction when we left him.  We also had 2 other whale watching boats scoping out the area as well and since we all try to cover different areas, we decided to all spread out in our search for Hornbill.

As we were traveling, we received reports of whale activity in a different location, so we adjusted our course and we were lucky to find a very nice pod of toothed whales, Atlantic white-sided dolphins.  This pod was milling around the surface and stayed close by the boat.  We were able to spend quality time with them and it was great way to start our trip.

We then started back on our search for Hornbill and other whales that may have moved into the area.  We were once again surprised by 2 different Ocean Sunfish as we travelled along, including one of them that came clear out of the water!

They are such unique creatures and may be one of the most bizarre things you get to see when out on the ocean.  

All 3 whale watch vessels, including us, searched as much area as possible in hopes of relocating Hornbill, but came up short.  We all however found our own whales to look at and we were pleased to have found

some toothed whales to enjoy during our afternoon.  Every trip is truly a new experience and we look forward to what tomorrow may bring.