Sunday, August 7

The whales continue to remain inshore of Jeffreys Ledge but they continue to move around making finding them, even from trip to trip, a constant effort searching for whale cues. Watching any whale is a fortunate experience and we are always so grateful to get a chance to see such magnificent wildlife each day. Among the whales we were also keeping an eye out for any interesting birds, as we tend to do, since pelagic birds and whales feed on some of the same food. Not a whole lot of rare bird activity today but there were certainly plentiful times to see birds.

A sea of gulls nearby a dragger ready to react once the boat began to haul in their net

Anyway, back to the whales. This morning we saw 9 Minke whales, a Fin whale and a small pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins. We got some great looks at many of our Minke whales.

One of the many Minke whales seen this morning

If you really focus in on a Minke whale's dorsal fin you can see just how distinct each fin can be.

Look at the distinctive nicks missing from the back portion of this Minke whale's dorsal fin

Another Minke whale's dorsal fin

We then got a chance to spend time with Dingle the Fin whale, a whale first spotted by Blue Ocean Society researchers in 2003.

Morning sighting of Dingle the Fin whale

After some more searching and seeing more Minke whales it was time to turn for home. Minutes later another type of whale was nearby. A small group of Atlantic white-sided dolphins were just off our port side! Initially these whales were being a bit aloof but soon they were doing donuts around the area allowing us to get some good looks at this group of about 10 individuals.

Atlantic white-sided dolphins (above and below)

This afternoon we started to search as soon as we left the harbor knowing how much the whales in the area have been moving around recently. Many thanks to one of our Blue Ocean Society's interns, Ali C., for she spotted a spout. A Fin whale was nearby. The next time this whale surfaced it wasn't just one whale, but two! A pair of Fin whales were right next to us.

Fin whale pair

We were able to get some great looks as these whales traveled through the area. Not only did we get good looks at this pair, we knew exactly who they were! Fin whale #0402 and Crow were moving around together! What a nice way to start the trip.

Fin whale #0402

Crow the Fin whale

Soon we found ourselves doing some more searching. We attempted to stop on a couple of Minke whales but they were not reappearing in a very cooperative fashion. Our day ended when we wrapped up our trip on another Fin whale. Dingle still was around. After a few attempts we got some fantastic looks at this whale especially when it surfaced right next to the boat!

Dingle

Saturday, August 6

We stayed at the dock this morning to wait out the rough seas that built up last night. But by afternoon, the ocean had settled right down and we had a most enjoyable trip! Escaping the heat and humidity on land, we cruised out in search of whales and were happily surprised to find a big pod of toothed whales (Atlantic white sided dolphins)! We hung out with this pod that was steadily moving to the SW and got some amazing views as big males, mothers and calves, and some juveniles swam right along side the boat! Dolphins have been a rare treat this summer so we were extra thrilled to see them.

The Atlantic white sided dolphin, exhibiting how it got its name.

Mom with her yearling!

Continuing on, we found 2 different minke whales in the same area. They were moving around quite a bit so it wasn't until we checked out our photos that we knew for sure that we had 2 different ones.

Minke behind tuna fishing boat

Minke whale exhibiting its unique markings!!!

Then we got a report of a blow further to the SW. This tuned out to be the adoptable fin whale, Dingle! Dingle was alternating long dives with short dives and we were treated to an amazing look at the second largest animal on the planet!

Fin whale blow

Dingle, the fin whale!

Moving on, we found some more dolphins before seeing a humpback whale. This was another adoptable whale named Owl!  Owl seemed a little busy this afternoon, but at one point, while we were sitting idle awaiting her next surfacing, she came up right behind the boat!!! So very close, and so very amazing!  Everyone cheered as she lifted her flukes into the air before diving.

Owl diving in front of a trawler

Owl diving

Owl's unique flukes!

Such a fun trip with so much variety!

Friday, August 5

Again today, we decided to build up the suspense and end the trip on a grand note. (If only we could plan that well....)  We passed by a group of harbor porpoises on our way out, and soon afterwards, spotted our first minke whale. This whale was only seen once before sneaking away. Next, we got one great look at Scar, the minke whale, who bears not just one big scar, but two scars! He came so close that we could see his linear scar just aft of his blowholes!  Unfortunately, due to user error, I wasn't able to get any photos of Scar today.  After spending a little time with a harbor seal, we checked out area after area, only to come up short-handed. Then, just as we were about to call it quits, mate Ryan spotted a big splash a couple miles behind the boat. A minke whale was breaching repeatedly!!  We got there just in time to see several breaches and some quick paced charging around by this very active whale. I have been watching whales for over 20 years and this was the best look I've had at a breaching minke!! 

So in spite of the long ride, our trip ended up to be a terrific success!

Thursday, August 4

This morning we saw 3 Minke whales and 3 Fin whales. We started with Crow the Fin whale consistently on the move. A few Minke whales passed by us as we remained moving with Crow, getting some great looks at this whale.

Crow

After lots of searching we ventured closer to shore and ended our trip with a pair of Fin whales. These whales moved through the water together as we enjoyed watching Dingle and #0402 maneuver around.

Fin whale going on a deeper dive

This afternoon we first started with Dingle and #0402 but in a much different location from where we had seen them this morning. We were fortunate to see these whales still synchronizing their movements together through the increased waves thanks to some increased wind.

Pair of Fin whales

Fin whale #0402

Dingle the Fin whale

We pressed on and ended up finding another Fin whale. However, this whale apparently was not interested in being watched. It would surface for a single breath every 8 minutes! We eventually realized this whale was going to win the battle and eased our way out of the area back towards home.

Wednesday, August 3

Starting your day surrounded by flat calm seas never gets old especially when you get the chance to spend time with some wild whales. This morning, along with the 2 Harbor seals we saw during our travels, we also had 12 Minke whales and 4 Fin whales.

Fin whale barely making a disturbance as its surfaces for a breath of air this morning

Our first stop of the day included a pair of Fin whales and 3 Minke whales all in the same area. Unfortunately, as magically as these whales appeared they disappeared just as fast. After 25 minutes in the area we still had yet to relocate the Fin whale pair. So instead, we decided to check out a few of the Minke whales in the area before venturing on. Next, we found ourselves spending time with a different large Fin whale known to us as #0802; a whale first sighted in our area in 2008.

Fin whale #0802

With more time to search and pristine conditions to search in we continued on to see more Minke whales, including Scar Minke, before ending the trip with some incredible looks at Crow the Fin whale.

Scar Minke

Fin whale beyond the Isles of Shoals

Crow the Fin whale's uniquely-shaped dorsal fin

This afternoon we found ourselves a mile from where we been with Crow this morning but that whale was nowhere to be found. In just a matter of hours Crow had disappeared and instead Owl the Humpback was circling around the area!

Owl

Owl swimming in towards us!

That's right, in just a short period of time whales can move in, or out, of an area all at a moment's notice. We watched Owl create a few bubble clouds while a Harbor seal and Minke whale appeared near by, before heading off to do some more exploring.

Harbor seal looking at us

In total, we ended up finding 4 Minke whales before ending the day with a quick look at so many seals spending time on the rocks of Boon Island.

Minke whale

Can you find the seals that blend in so well to the color of the rocks?

So many seals basking on the rocks of Boon Island

Tuesday, August 2

This morning we got a chance to see 6 Minke whales, 1 Fin whale and Owl the Humpback whale. Many of our whales would travel for a bit before eventually slowly down and circle around.

Morning Minke whale

Humpback whale tail

Fin whale

What a nice morning to enjoy watching wild whales in some beautiful conditions.

Calm seas and cloudy skies usually makes for spotting whale spouts stick out in the darker background!

This afternoon there were whales around but wow, did it take some patience to get some nice looks at even just a couple of these whales. We initially started with a few different Minke whales but could only manage to get a few quick glimpses before the whales would disappear from our vantage point. We then attempted to check out a Fin whale spout but we never seemed to catch up to it. All we kept seeing was a few breaths out in the distance after each time we would move into the area where we had last seen this whale. We decided it was time to abort this whale and try our luck with another spout we were seeing out in a different direction. After some sly surfacings we realized it was Dingle!

Dingle the Fin whale

We eventually started to move out of the area only to find a surprise of 2 Fin whales suddenly appear out of nowhere, moving through the water together, just off our port side!

Pair of Fin whales at the surface

Such beautiful synchronization as these whales glided through the ocean. We got some phenomenal looks at these massive mammals before checking out a few more Minke whales on our travels home.

Rainbow-blow from one of our Fin whales

Afternoon Minke whale

The whales certainly kept us on our toes today so we anticipate more of the unexpected tomorrow and each and every trip in the future!

Monday, August 1

For those who braved the clouds and the scattered rain, the reward was worth it!  The seas were pretty calm today (Monday) and the whales were plentiful.  During our day we spotted Owl the humpback whale.  We also spent some time with some very cooperative fin whales. Minkes were also abundant.  It was a great day to spend on the water.