June 19-20, 2023

The weather cooperated enough on Monday for us to get our trips in. It was a beautiful day. In the morning, we saw two minke whales and two fin whales.

Minke whale in such calm seas

Fin whale

During our afternoon trip, we were back in the same area where two fin whales continued to move around.

Fin whale spout

Fin whale diving

We only had an afternoon trip on Tuesday. We spent plenty of time searching numerous areas around the Jeffreys Ledge region. On the way home, a fin whale decided to show itself. While the whale was spending some time below the surface, it wasn't moving far, allowing for some good looks.

June 17-18, 2023

The weather has been up and down this week. We didn't run any trips on Saturday due to the windy and rainy conditions. Luckily the weather subsided for an afternoon trip on Sunday. A leftover swell and a few raindrops were sprinkled throughout the trip. Whale-wise we had a humpback whale, three minke whales, and even a handful of harbor seals!

Humpback whale (above and below)

The humpback whale was only a few miles off the coast of Maine and a great way to start off the trip. The minke whales were scattered around further offshore.

Minke whale

We are now on our summer schedule running trips 7 days a week at 8:30am and 2pm, weather dependent of course. Hope to see you soon!

June 15-16, 2023

Conditions were lovely on Thursday as we went searching for marine life. We ended up finding a minke whale out on Jeffreys Ledge. While this whale was darting around quite a bit, we still managed to get some nice looks.

On Friday's trip we were treated to some very incredible behaviors... a humpback breaching! While all whales can breach, it is not a behavior we see regularly so our passengers were extremely fortunate to experience such a spectacular sight.

Tail-breach

Breach!

June 12-14, 2023

Whales have been doing a good job shifting around the past few days, causing for extra search efforts during our trips. But wild animals can and certainly do just that! Our searching paid off on Monday when we found and spent time with a humpback whale. This humpback whale is a new one for us for the season, and we are in the process of identifying it.

The windy and rainy weather kept us on land on Tuesday. On Wednesday, we had two trips starting with a school group from Deerfield. The trip began with another unknown humpback whale and ended with a VERY familiar one - Pinball and her 2023 calf!

Pinball

Pinball spent most of her time subsurface. Her calf, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. Lots of squiggly behavior creating plenty of whitewater.

Tail-breach

Pinball's calf lob-tailing

During our afternoon trip, we returned to where we were in the morning. We ran into some offshore fog, but it soon cleared, and we were in search mode. Followed by more search mode. And still even more. Unfortunately, we did not find any whales and look forward to our passengers returning to experience the whale aspect of the Gulf of Maine!

June 10-11, 2023

Sightings on Saturday were well inshore of Jeffreys Ledge. Three humpback whales in total. Still working on identifying each of these whales by using their unique dorsal fin shapes and black and white pigmentation patterns on the underside of their tails.

We enjoy being part of the research community as our research affiliate, the Blue Ocean Society, compiles and contributes all our sighting information to the Center for Coastal Studies. Here's to learning more about the whales that roam our area and where and when they will show themselves next!

On Sunday, the where and when of whale sightings kept us on our toes. First a spout just beyond the Isles of Shoals, only to not be seen again after a 20-minute wait. Then more spouts, four(!), later in the trip. Two fin whale pairs. We ended up trying to track with one of those pairs; a mother-calf pair! Seeing mother-calf pairs are always a special treat but of the second largest animals on earth... awesome! Well, that was when they decided to slow down their travels eventually allowing for some beautiful looks.

Fin whale mother-calf pair!

Mother of the fin whale pair

We also got a gorgeous look at another fin whale in the area just before heading home. Along with a few minke whale sightings our patience and effort made for some great looks at these marine mammals.

Fin whale diving

We are now running whale watch trips daily so stay tuned as we update regularly on our adventures out on the open ocean.

June 3-4, 2023

Weather is keeping us on land this weekend. Stay tuned for sighting updates next weekend when we get back out on the water.

May 27-28, 2023

Welcome to the 2023 season!!! The winter weather is in the past, warmer temperatures are on the horizon, and the holiday weekend means whale watching has commenced! Saturday was great to stretch our "legs," traveling out to Jeffreys Ledge in beautiful conditions and spending time with four Humpback whales - Gondolier, Picket, Ditto, and Quill.

Pair of Humpback whales

On Sunday, the steamy temperatures on land made it feel as though summer had already arrived. Alas, the ocean temperatures reminded us otherwise. We spent the trip with two Humpback whales - Nike and Nile. Nike was darting this way and that. Nile created a few bubble clouds as it moved through the area.

Nile

Bubble cloud

Humpback whale flipper!

Mother Nature certainly worked her wonders having the weather and whales cooperate for a great start of the season. Many of our passengers this weekend included familiar faces, first-timers, and all those in between! Thanks for choosing us and sharing the excitement of wildlife for another year. We look forward to what this season has in store for us and experiencing those moments with all of you. See you soon!