Whale Sightings 10/29/23 to 11/17/23. Please find the Naturalist Notes for the week of 10/29/23 to 11/17/23 from the onboard team of naturalists for our New England Whale Watching tour in partnership with the New England Aquarium.
10-29-23
10am and 2:30pm Whale Watches
Good evening,
The Aurora headed out on the 10am whale watch with a hearty group of passengers towards Stellwagen Bank. Facing wind and waves, we were excited to see the blows of two humpback whales. These whales were bubble cloud feeding, and explosively lunging to the surface with their whole rostrum coming out of the water! Their movements were a little sporadic, and it was clear these two were busy subsurface feeding – evidenced by a large defecation next to the vessel! During the second half of our trip, we witnessed some sporadic surface activity – which included rolling, a lobtail, and a chin breach. Additionally, our pair exhibited social milling, rolling around and displaying seemingly competitive behavior – trumpeting, tail thrashing, and chin clapping. We’ve been able to identify one individual as Cacophony – with the other to be determined. Right as were about to leave, the whales began to express curious behavior and approached our boat. Sitting still and clutched out, we watched in awe as the whales surfaced right between the pulpits!
The 2:30 whale watch headed out in blustery seas towards the same location as the morning trip. Unfortunately, due to deteriorating sea conditions and building swells, we were forced to turnaround. All passengers were offered the option of a refund or the opportunity to reschedule.
Kate and Christina
10-30-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
were ready for a thrill, and they were treated to a spectacular showing of marine life offshore! It did take a bit of searching to locate the whales, including A-Plus and her calf, Milkweed, 3.14, who have moved up toward the shipping lanes in the middle of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary from their typical southwest corner locale. Ravine and her calf were back, along with a new-to-us mom and calf, Blackhole and her (not-so) little one. It’s so late in the season that the idea of adding a new mom and calf to our list took me by surprise, but nowhere near as much as realizing we had an interspecies mix of common and Atlantic white sided dolphins.
Four humpback calves and countless dolphin calves thrilled us all, and we enjoyed watching Ravine’s baby rolling and played with the dolphins as they cruised circles around the boat, occasionally pausing to take a peek up at passengers. Another adult humpback breached numerous times nearby and the closer adults thrilled us with close approaches and their large number. It truly was a trip that cannot be put into words or even show through the photos. We enjoyed every single minute of these sightings and had great ride back to Boston.
This was also my final trip with the New England Aquarium and Boston Harbor City cruises as I move on to an exciting new opportunity. I am so fortunate to have met some of my favorite people and have enjoyed many amazing sightings during my time here in Boston. It’s been wonderful to work with the dedicated naturalist team and all of our wonderful interns, and I thank you all for reading and enjoying the trips along with me for the past seven years!
Laura L.
10-31-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Happy Halloween!
A very hearty group of passengers on the Aurora battled some spooky swells on the 10am whale watch. We headed out towards the middle of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and spotted the scattered blows from 6-7 humpbacks. We started off our trip with the two individuals: Abrasion and Wizard. Although these whales were feeding close together, they were not in a distinct association. We watched as they sporadically travelled through the bank in slightly different areas- and would sometimes pop up around the same time but on either side of our vessel. After some great close approaches – we traveled to some distant splashing and blows and finished our trip with Etch-a-Sketch! Etch-a-Sketch is one of our favorite whales – and we got to see some of her classic high fluking dives and beautiful rainblows before heading back to Boston.
Kate and Kiley
11-03-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Hello all,
Today aboard the Aurora, the 10am whale watch made its way out towards the middle of Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. We noticed a pair of blows before we reached the bank. This turned out to be the grand dame herself Salt accompanied by Venom! These two lovely ladies were taking 8-10 minute dives but they were spending a lot of time at the surface so we were able to get some fantastic looks at them! After a very high, beautiful fluking dive from Salt right next to the boat, we noticed some splashing in the distance. We decided to go for a ride to investigate, and we were very glad we did because this turned out to be Four the humpback whale who was tail breaching and flipper slapping! Four did this for several minutes right next to the boat! Four eventually calmed down, and it began settling into some longer dives. We then got a great close approach by the pair of Dome and Manhattan! The pair gave us some beautiful fluking dives before we had to head back to Boston. It was a really awesome day out on Stellwagen Bank!
Until next time,
Colin and Sian
11-04-23
10am and 2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings
Hello all,
Today aboard the Asteria, the 10am whale watch made its way out towards Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. After a little bit of searching, we spotted several blows in the distance. We spent time with a few different humpback whales who were keeping a very low profile. We did get a great look at one humpback who swam not too far from the boat! Right as we were about to leave, Spell, Shuffleboard, and Shuffleboard 23 Calf popped up right next to the boat! These three gave us some beautiful close approaches as well as several beautiful fluking dives! After some great looks at these whales and several beautiful gannets, we had to head back to Boston.
The 230pm whale watch made its way towards the same area in hopes of similar luck as the first trip. We were in luck when we spotted 3.14 the humpback who gave us a beautiful fluking dive! We then ventured on to Shuffleboard and her calf who were cruising up at the surface. The pair swam right next to and under the boat! We got a beautiful view of Shuffleboard’s fluke before we noticed some splashing in the distance. This turned out to be 3.14 who was doing some interesting behavior at the surface. 3.14 tail breached a few times, did these high fluking dives, and even snaked a few times! Definitely was not sure what this whale was doing, but it was neat to see nonetheless! After 3.14 appeared to have calmed down, we noticed more splashing to the south of us. this turned out to be Shuffleboard and her calf who were getting very surface active! The calf breached out of nowhere not far from the boat! The calf then went into a bout of flipperslapping! I personally have not seen Shuffleboard or her calf since May and this calf has probably doubled in size since the last I saw it which is always great to see that the calves appear to be doing well! After one last beautiful fluking dives from the pair, we had to make our way back to Boston. It was a great final sunset whale watch of the season!
Until next time,
Colin, Kiley, and Sian
11-05-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Last Sunday, the 10am whale watch headed out on the Asteria towards the middle of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. With incredibly glassy and calm seas, we spotted a handful of splashes and blows as we approached the area. We first spent our time with the pair of Music and Sanchal – who were gliding slowly and gracefully through the area. At one point, both whales swam under the pulpits – with Music even lifting her rostrum out of the water to seemingly check us out! The water was so calm we could see the entire length of both whales and we got fantastic looks at our humpbacks. The pair’s calm behavior was suddenly interrupted by a series of rolling and splashing – before Sanchal erupted in a full body breach off our port side! As suddenly as she breached our whales disappeared – so we turned our attention to some distant whales who were flipper-slapping and lobtailing! The activity subsided as we approached the area – but we closed out our trip with the pair of Dyad and Diablo. This pair was taking slightly longer dives – and we got to preoccupy our time with a cute gray seal at the surface for a few minutes! With some last beautiful fluking dives, we headed back to Boston.
Kate and Siân
11-06-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Hello all,
Today aboard the Aurora, the 10am whale watch battled the winds and the waves out towards Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. We were in luck when we spotted a blow after a bit of searching. This turned out to be Four the humpback whale. Four ended up popping up right off the bow before doing a beautiful fluking dive not far from the boat! Four was taking relatively long dives so we decided to go for a ride. After more searching, we stumbled upon a trio of humpback whales consisting of Dyad, Diablo, and Crook. These three were moving very slowly at the surface which allowed us to get some fantastic looks at them! Dyad and Crook gave us several beautiful fluking dives. The highlight of the trip was when all three gave us an incredible close approach! After one last beautiful fluking dive from Dyad, we had to make our way back to Boston. It ended up being a fantastic day out on Stellwagen Bank!
Until next time,
Colin, Christina, and Sian
11-09-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Good afternoon,
The 10am whale watched escape the rain in Boston to find whales on Stellwagen Bank. Our search took us to the middle of the Bank where we discovered a dozen humpback whales scattered in the area. We began our trip with two humpback whales: Crossbeam and Thumper. The two whales dove as we approached, but within no time we started to see the characteristic green bubbles of feeding whales! After lunging through a few bubble nets, the foraging strategy of these whales changed. Instead of blowing bubbles, both whales began kicking their massive flukes against the surface of the water and diving down to feed. This unique foraging behavior called kick feeding captivated our attention for the majority of the trip! Before we knew it, it was time to make our way back to Boston. As we slowly left the area, we briefly stopped on two more kick feeding whales. One was identified as a whale named Saucer. After a few bonus looks at these whales, we made our way back to Boston!
Until next time,
Eman, Sian, and Kiley
11-10-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Hello all,
Today aboard the Aurora, the 10am whale watch made its way out towards Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. After a bit of searching through the wind and the waves, we spotted a blow. This turned out to be Cosmos the humpback whale! Cosmos was taking very consistent 5–8-minute dives, and she was spending a lot of time at the surface, so we were able to get some great looks at her. She even swam right next to the boat a few times! Cosmos was soon joined by another humpback named Wizard. The pair were spending a lot of time at the surface, and they even swam right under the boat! After a set a beautiful fluking dives from our lovely ladies, we had to head back to Boston. It was a fantastic day out on Stellwagen Bank!
Until next time,
Colin and Sian
11-11-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Hello all,
Today aboard the Aurora, the 10am whale watch made its way out towards the northwest corner of Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. We battled the wind and the waves but were delighted to see a few blows and many northern gannets as we arrived at the area. Several of the gannets were divebombing from high up in the sky which is always amazing to see! We found three humpback whales in the area, one of which turned out to be Pleats. On a personal note, today was my 100th trip this season, and on my first trip this year I saw Pleats, so it is kind of cool to see her on my first trip of the season and on my 100th trip of the season. Pleats was doing these very elegant high fluking dives which everyone enjoyed seeing! The three whales ended up joining right at the end. One of the whales even did a quick breach and a quick bout of flipper slapping! After one last beautiful fluking dives from Pleats, we had to head back to Boston. It ended up being a really great trip out on Stellwagen Bank!
Until next time,
Colin and Kiley
11-12-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Good evening,
Aboard the Sanctuary, the noon whale watch braved the bumpy seas to find whales. It took some searching to find whales, but our efforts were greatly rewarded! We stumbled upon two humpback whales in the middle of the Bank due to their splashy behavior. We identified these whales as Basmati and Conflux! As we approached, Basmati began slapping her massive fluke against the surface of the water. Within moments, both whales went down on fluking dives. For the remainder of the trip, we watched these whales as they swam at the surface of the water and raised their large flukes to go on dives. We were even treated to some more lobtailing and splashes from Basmati before we made our way home. It was a fantastic time on the Bank!
Until next time,
Eman and Sian
11-13-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Hello all,
Today aboard the Aurora, the 10am whale watch made its way out towards Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. Before we reached the bank, we stumbled upon a trio of humpback whales consisting of Diablo, Dyad, and Venom! These three lovely ladies were lounging at the surface which allowed us to get some fantastic looks at them. Venom treated us to several beautiful fluking dives! After these three went on a dive, we decided to keep going for a ride. After a little searching, we spotted a few blows in the distance. This turned out to be Chromosome and Mostaza the humpback whales who at first were lounging at the surface. This quickly changed when Chromosome erupted from the water, doing nearly a full body breach! Chromosome then did this again before bolting away from Mostaza. Chromosome was moving erratically until they met up with another humpback whale named Puppet. The two then started taking longer dives, but we were able to get some great looks at the pair when they both gave us some beautiful fluking dives! After one last look at the pair, we had to head back to Boston. It was a fantastic fall day out on Stellwagen Bank!
Until next time,
Colin, Christina, and Sian
11-14-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Good afternoon,
Aboard the Aurora, we set out to Stellwagen Bank to find cetaceans on this cold November day. Our search was met by a blow in the distance belonging to a humpback whale named Clamp. As we approached, it became clear that Clamp was taking a well-deserved nap at the surface. We were absolutely enthralled as we watched her slow movements and lazy dives. Halfway through her nap, she quickly raised her massive fluke out of the water and started lobtailing! This behavior happened twice more in-between her bouts of sleeping. After a thrilling time with Clamp, we moved on to another humpback whale blow we saw in the distance who was identified as Cupid. Cupid’s behavior was much different than our earlier whale. He was traveling rapidly though the area and spent some time close to our boat checking us out. After a wonderful close approach from Cupid as he dove beneath our idling boat, we said our goodbyes and made our way back to Boston.
Until next time,
Eman, Christina, and Kiley
11-16-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Good afternoon,
With beautiful weather, the Aurora headed out on the 10am whale watch towards the middle of Stellwagen Bank! We first spotted the blows of the humpback pair: Chromosome and Lichen. This is our first-time seeing Lichen this season and our duo was slowly moving through the area. There was a large concentration of gulls and kittiwakes swarming nearby – with many flying around and chasing each other with sand lance in their mouths. Our humpbacks were moving towards this feeding frenzy, but surprised us when Lichen let out a massive tail breach next to the boat! We got a few more last looks at these whales before heading south – when we spotted the scattered blows of at least 5 more humpbacks! We finished out our trip with Bounce and her 2023 calf! We haven’t seen this mom and calf pair in almost a month. This late in the season it’s special to still see mom/calves – as the farther the fall progresses it’s more and more likely that mom and calf have separated.
When we first started watching the calf earlier in the summer, the calf had a lot of divots and marks on the body – inspiring us to affectionally nickname the whale “Golf ball” (Its official name is Bounce 23 Calf, Golf ball is simply a nickname/term of endearment). However, when we saw the calf today – many of these markings are more subtle or even gone. Sometime over the last few weeks the calf has been busy eating and seemingly grown into itself. The calf looks very big and healthy, and even started nursing towards the end of the trip! With scattered blows, we eventually turned back to Boston.
Personally, this is my last trip of the season – what a wonderful way to finish up a great year!
Kate, Siân, and Kiley
11-17-23
10am Whale Watch Sightings
Hello all,
Today aboard the Aurora, the 10am whale watch made its way towards the shipping lane area of Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life. We were delighted to see a flurry of bird activity, splashing, and a couple of blows as we arrived in the area. We had two humpback whales who turned out to be Venom and Dyad, but also in the commotion were large schools of tuna! The schools of tuna were darting at the surface chasing sand lance! Not to be out done, Venom and Dyad then began bubble feeding! They did this several times right next to the boat! Both of our lovely ladies did several bubble nets and lunges. They soon split with Dyad going into a bout of kick feeding! She wasn’t alone for long as Venom rejoined with Dyad to continue bubble feeding. After many beautiful lunges, and of course beautiful fluking dives, we had to venture back to Boston. It was a spectacular day out on Stellwagen Bank!
Until next time,
Colin, Sian, Kiley, and Christina
Boston Whale Watching: Naturalist Notes – 10/29/23 to 11/17/23