Whale Sightings 5/19/25 to 5/25/25. Please find the Naturalist Notes for the week of 5/19/25 to 5/25/25 from the onboard team of naturalists for our New England Whale Watching tour in partnership with the New England Aquarium.
Saturday, 5.24.25
2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings
Good evening,
On the 2:30pm trip, the Asteria headed offshore in search of some whales. We were excited to come across a humpback whale pair that was logging at the surface. We are actively working on determining the identifications are these two whales.
It was a good day on the water,
Eman
3:30pm Whale Watch Sightings
Good evening,
Today the Sanctuary made it’s way to Jeffrey’s Ledge in search of wildlife. As we arrived, we found ourselves in the company of two humpback whales, one of whom was lobtailing and flipper slapping repeatedly. It made for amazing looks! We spent quite a bit of time with these two, as they spent most of their time at the surface. At one point, one of the whales got very close to a fishing buoy, but thankfully it did not get caught up in it. We even got a quick look at a seal before making our way back to Boston!
Until Next Time,
David, Madeline & Brant
Sunday, 5.25.25
11:00am Whale Watch Sightings
Good evening,
The Sanctuary set off from Boston at 11am with a boat full of eager passengers and high hopes. Before our first whale sighting, we were treated to an incredible spectacle: a basking shark! The shark was gliding slowly and feeding just below the surface. As we marveled at its size, more dorsal fins began rising up from the depths until we counted 6 more basking sharks (the most I’ve ever seen on a trip)!! Surrounded on all sides, we struggled to tear ourselves away to continue our search for whales. Eventually, we found ourselves with a familiar fluke – the humpback whale named Dome. Dome was busy kick feeding, putting on a show as she repeatedly slapped her tail against the surface and bubble fed all around. On our way back to Boston, we go bonus looks of all our sharks and a quick peek at another humpback logging at the surface.
Eman, Andrew, and Collin
3:30pm Whale Watch Sightings
Good evening,
The afternoon trip was a frenzy of excitement. We stumbled upon 7-8 whales just north of the Bank. All the whales were busy kick feeding and bubble feeding in groups of two or on their own. Among the whales identified were Habanero, Strike, Pixar, Blackhole and her 2025 calf. While the adults were busy feeding, the calf had other plans. With endless curiosity, the calf approached our stationary vessel, circling, diving, and breaching around us for over an hour! Just when we thought the little calf was ready to adopt us as whales, Blackhole breached in the distance and – like any child being called by a parent – the calf turned and beelined back to mom. That gave us the perfect opportunity to sneak out of whale territory and head back to Boston.
It was a phenomenal day on the water with my first shark and calf sightings of the year!
Eman, Andrew, and Collin
Boston Whale Watching: Naturalist Notes – 5/19/25 to 5/25/25