Friday August 16

Minke whales continue to be seen as we were able to see 5 of these whales on each of our trips today. Granted many of the whales we saw this morning versus this afternoon were in completely different areas from Rye Harbor which means the majority of the whales we saw today were different individuals from one another. 

Minke whales from this morning (above and below)

Minke whale so close to land this afternoon!

If you think about it that is quite the number of whales to have around, especially since many of them were seen even before getting to Jeffreys Ledge today. 

The nose, or snout, of a Minke whale as it comes to the surface for a breath of air!



Minke whale surfacing just off our starboard side during our afternoon trip

This morning we were also treated to an Ocean sunfish. This large bony fish was meandering through the area giving us a great chance to check out this interesting looking ocean creature!

Ocean sunfish swimming just below the surface

This afternoon we also had a bonus sighting. Not only were we lucky enough to see a pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins, we saw two pods in one trip! The first group of toothed-whales was a pretty decent sized group. We estimated there were probably 75 of these whales moving through the area together. 

Group #1 of Atlantic white-sided dolphins. This group was seen less than 10 miles from land!

They were all spread out which was great since then the whales could be seen in every which direction no matter where you were spending time on the boat! 

Glassy calm ocean conditions makes watching dolphins an extra special treat!

We were pretty excited to see these whales as typically we only see dolphins about 20-25% of the time we are out whale watching. We go on over 100 trips every single season so we really only see this type of whale between 20-30 times a year. However, what a lucky turn of events we had today. Not only did we get some great looks at our large group this afternoon but on the ride home we saw another pod! This other group of Atlantic white-sided dolphins were much further offshore than the first group we saw but they were also heading south (which means they were travelling from the north) and is a good indication this was not the same group we had seen earlier in the trip. 

Atlantic white-sided dolphins whizzing by us!

Another good indication this was a different group was because we saw even more whales in this pod. There were well over a couple hundred(!!!) of these whales swimming together. We have not seen a pod of dolphins this big all season and it certainly was a sight to see! Literally everywhere you looked these toothed-whales were splashing at the surface.

The weather looks to be very nice all weekend so hopefully we will see you, and the whales, soon!

Thursday August 15

We had quite the nice surprise today out on Jeffreys Ledge. A very familiar whale was in the area. Fjord the Fin whale has returned! This is the first time we aboard the Granite State have seen this whale this season. 

Fjord swimming alongside the boat this morning

Fjord is known to be seen on Jeffreys Ledge very early in the season (as in the first couple trips of the season in May!) and was seen by one of our other Blue Ocean Society affiliated friends back then but had not been seen on the ledge since...until today! 

Just a portion of the length of Fjord's body above the surface

We were able to get some great looks at this whale on both of our trips as it wasn't moving very far each time this whale returned back up to the surface for some breaths of air. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the day was that even though we spent time with Fjord on both trips today, the whale itself was in a completely different location between the morning and our afternoon sighting. A pristine example of how whales can, and do, move through the area and do so in just a matter of hours!

Fjord this afternoon. Thanks to our friends aboard the Atlantic Queen II for spotting this whale on their way home!



Fjord seen less than 10 miles from the Isles of Shoals this afternoon!

We also got a chance to spend time with a Minke whale this afternoon and a few seals scattered around.

Minke whale just beyond Appledore Island

Our surprise on land was that before we even left the dock this afternoon a Grey seal popped up in Rye Harbor!! Literally steps from the dock a Grey seal surfaced, checked us all out, and then disappeared. See...we really can spot marine life at any time during (and sometimes even before!) our trips!

Sunday August 11

What a beautiful day to spend out on the ocean today. Not only was the weather beautiful but watching whales in these conditions were perfect. We got the chance to see 5 Minke whales this morning and 6 this afternoon. 

Morning Minke whale surfacing just off the port side!

One of the many Minke whales seen this afternoon

Based on the photographs we took of our whales all throughout the day many of them were different from each other which means there were a whole lot of whales out and about today! We can tell Minke whales apart from each other based on the unique shape of their dorsal fins and any other interesting markings found along a whale's body helping to distinguish one Minke whale from another. Check out some of the fins we saw today from our Minke whales below:

Our first Minke whale of the morning

Even though this fin also has two notches missing from it (like the dorsal fin above) the spacing in between those 2 notches are different lengths making these two fins different and thus two different Minke whales!

Even though this photograph is out of focus this Minke whale's fin is still very different than all the others!

Nice smooth fin from this Minke whale

Yet another different Minke whale's fin seen today!

See how differently shaped each fin can be? Not only does the shape of a whale's dorsal fin help to tell one whale apart from another sometimes other field markings can be seen and/or photographed. A prime example is Scar Minke. 

Scar Minke

A photograph of this whale was taken in 1995 aboard the Granite State (thanks to D. Schulte for being so intrigued with whales even back in the day!) and has been spotted and documented over the years out on Jeffreys Ledge. While we may not know exactly how old this particular whale is, we do know Scar Minke is at least 18 years old and continues to live on even though this whale's back appears to be quite deformed. 

The deep gash this Minke whale has on it's back has been visible since it was first seen in 1995!

This whale is such a great sighting and a great story of how we continue to learn more about all the whales that spend time out on Jeffreys Ledge but also as a reminder of how human activity (fishing gear and ship strikes) can have such a direct impact on whales of all sizes in the sea. 

A very special sighting of a very special whale

Along with so many great Minke whale sightings today we also got a chance to watch one of the two Ocean sunfish we saw moving through the water this morning. 

An Ocean sunfish just below the surface of the ocean

The sunfish we stopped on was moseying through the water as we watched this large bony fish swim on through the area. 

The top (and dorsal fin) of our Ocean sunfish as it swam alongside the boat

Great weather and great sightings certainly made for a successful day of whale watching today! Thank you so much to all who joined us today and shared in such a special day!

Minke whale at the surface. You also make out this whale's "minke mittens" seen just below the waterline tight to this whale's body (the light patch in the center of the photo) as all Minke whales have white patches found on each flipper

Saturday August 10

Minke whales continue to be around and not only on Jeffreys Ledge but miles before we even got there today! We saw 6 of these whales this morning and 7 this afternoon.

First whale of the day; a Minke whale inshore of Jeffreys Ledge

Granted a few of our sightings were less than ideal as a few of these whales wanted nothing to do with us. We saw them out in the distance, eased our way up to the area, only to leave the area empty-handed as we just could not relocate those whales. Then again that is why it is called wildlife. No training, no predictability, just pure and fantastic wild animals in their natural habitat. That's what we do. We look for wildlife in a habitat that is almost purely uninhabitable to us but ideal for such majestic mammals. Truly incredible when you think about it.  Anyway, we were able to get some great looks at many of the whales we did see today.

This Minke whale spent most of the time we spent with it today just circling around the area

One of the many Minke whales this afternoon

A couple of times we were even fortunate enough to get a few glances at these whale's "minke mittens" when a couple of the Minke whales we watched today surfaced close to the boat. Along with all the Minke sightings today we also added to the morning sightings a few quick looks at a small pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins. The even weirder part of this sighting was that we had originally slowed down for an Ocean sunfish, which was spotted just off out starboard side, only to look off our port side and see the dolphins right there! We stayed with the dolphins for a few surfacings before they disappeared as easily as they had appeared next to us and our efforts to check out the sunfish, while attempted, was unsuccessful. It's amazing how sneaky wildlife can be...appearing and disappearing with such ease. Fun and constantly unexpected all at the same time!

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.