Whale Sightings 7/25/22 to 8/7/22 Please find the Naturalist Notes for the week of 7/25/22 to 8/7/22 from the onboard team of naturalists for our New England Whale Watching tour in partnership with the New England Aquarium.  

07-25-22

10am Whale Watch Sightings

Today aboard the Sanctuary, the 10am whale watch made its way towards Jeffrey’s Ledge in search of whales and other marine life.  After a bit of searching, we spotted a blow in the area.  This blow came from a humpback whale who turned out to be Pinball!  Pinball was taking very short dives, and she was spending a lot of time at the surface, so we were able to get some great looks at her.  As we were watching Pinball, we spotted a few minke whales, an adorable little harbor seal, a pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins, and even two fin whales, one of which was 17bp03!  After great looks at all these sea creatures, Pinball popped up right next to the boat! After some beautiful fluking dives from Pinball, we spotted another blow.  This turned out to be Mogul the humpback whale.  He was also spending a lot of time at the surface, and he even popped up next to the boat a few times!  After some great looks at all the wonderful sea life, we had to head back to Boston.  It was a really fantastic morning out on Jeffrey’s Ledge!

Colin and Maddie

07-25-22

12pm Whale Watch Sightings

We boarded the Aurora for the 12pm whale watch and headed south in search of whales. Rough seas were the first to greet us, followed by Etch-a-Sketch, who was blowing deep bubble clouds. Eventually, she moved into a direction that the waves prevented us from following, but we changed course toward Boston and met up with two more humpback whales. Bounce and Ravine were resting at the surface, allowing us some wonderful looks. After a spectacularly beautiful fluking dive, we left our sleepy pair, rocking and rolling back toward port.

Flukes ke atas,

Ashlyn and Addy

07-26-22

10am & 2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings

At 10am, the Sanctuary journeyed to the Southwest Corner of Stellwagen Bank eager to see baleen whales. Before we even got to the whales, we spotted a green sea turtle in the water! We only caught a quick glimpse of it before it ducked down beneath the surface. Excited by this encounter, we continued onward to an area with about between 8-10 whales. Our first close encounter was with a whale named Shuffleboard.  Shuffleboard was taking short dives and spending enough time at the surface for us to get some great looks! After spending some time with this whale, we moved over to an area several other blows. Here we found Freckles and Etch-A-Sketch. We watched both whales for a several moments before Shuffleboard swam over and began diving closer to the other two humpbacks. It didn’t really matter where we looked since all three of these whales were diving and surfacing around us! While the whales were on a dive, we noticed a small grey seal in the water. The seal hung out at the surface, allowing us to get some incredible looks at the adorable mammal. We got a few more last looks at Freckles and Etch-a-Sketch before making our way back to Boston.

On the 2:30pm whale watch, the Sanctuary headed back to the Southwest Corner of Stellwagen bank hoping to see some of the same activity we saw in the morning. We arrived in the area to several blows from whales around us! We managed to catch a few glimpses of Shuffleboard. Her dive times were a bit long, so we moved along to another blow in the distance. This whale was a familiar whale – Etch-a-sketch. Etch-a-sketch was sporting a very new research tag (see photo!). It had been placed by the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary team sometime between our sighting of her during the 10am whale watch and our resighting of her during the 2:30pm whale watch! We do not use these tags to track whales for the research boats. Tags placed on whales by the SBNMS team are used for collecting data on whale behavior beneath the surface. It was exciting to discuss research in action as we watched this whale dive and surface around us. Our final sighting was of a whale named Freckles. Freckles gave us some close looks as she surfaced next to our boat multiple times. We spent time with Freckles until we turned back to Boston.

It was a busy day on Stellwagen today!

Eman & Addy

07-26-22

11am Whale Watch Sightings

Today the 11AM whale watch set out on the Asteria towards the Southwest Corner of Stellwagen Bank. As we made our way to the bank (and again on our way back) we passed by a pod of harbor porpoises. Then, just as we were seeing our first blows from humpbacks, a finback went by headed west. It was great to see this long, fast whale even though we did not get the best looks. There were about five humpbacks spread out around the area. We started with looks of Pitcher, who was blowing bubble clouds. Then Etch-a-Sketch close approached. She was also blowing bubble clouds and being generally curious around the boat, swimming both under and around us. We spent a little time with Diablo before going back to watching Etch-a-Sketch. Additionally, while we were watching Diablo, a minke whale swam past. We began to head out of the area and saw a gray seal. Fully pleased we headed home!

Smooth sailing!

Mira and Maddie

07-26-22

12pm Whale Watch Sightings

The Aurora cruised to the north, hugging the coast of Cape Ann where we first spotted a giant mola mola! It remained at the surface long enough for everyone to get a great look before we continued toward Jeffreys Ledge. We were just to the west of the feeding grounds when we spotted a sleepy pair of humpbacks, Valley and Tripod and immediately realized I have some unfortunate news to report- Valley has a fresh injury that appears to me reminiscent of entanglement based on the abrasions along her back and tail stock. This poor whale endured a harrowing entanglement event last year when she became anchored outside of Boston. Luckily, she was freed by the Marine Animal Entanglement Response team that hails from the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown (Report entanglements to: (800) 900-3622 or USCG via Ch16). From close observation and review of photos, I cannot find any remaining gear on her and we hope that she has moved on to the healing process.

We spotted numerous gray seals while watching Nile and her calf as they rested just beneath the surface, with the calf showing it’s typical curious behavior. Pinball was zipping around through the area, and four minke whales seemed to be foraging, with two of them swimming in tandem. Several other humpbacks dotted the horizon before we headed back, this time inshore of Thacher Island, rounding out what a pleasant afternoon.

Laura L. and Rachel

07-27-22

10am& 2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings

We were treated to perfect weather and sea conditions this morning on our ride into the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. We were tipped off to our first sighting, a fin whale, by the Cetacea who spotted them on their run to Provincetown. We enjoyed some incredible looks at this massive whale as it remained at the surface for quite some time. It’s behavior had me a little concerned though, sort of twisting and turning and taking very frequent breaths. I’m happy to report that after observing a large amount of poop emerge from this whale, it returned to ‘typical’ fin whale behavior… not exactly a sighting I ever thought about witnessing but there you have it!

After watching a mola mola, yellow warbler, and monarch butterfly, we then found Etch-a-Sketch and Diablo bubble feeding near to each other a bit farther to the east and enjoyed fantastic looks as they lunged and rolled amid the schools of fish. A few other humpbacks, including Pitcher, milled about and we spotted minke whales, shearwaters, and Wilson’s storm petrels before turning back for Boston.

For the afternoon we decided to try our luck to the north and watched a fast-moving Clamp swimming at about six knots in a straight line. She did eventually slow down and began taking flicking dives as she cruised to the northeast. We turned and found Dross about two miles off of Magnolia, MA! She was also bubble feeding and would come up head first before taking her hallmark high dives. What a fantastic day to be on the water!

Laura L. and Olivia

07-27-2022

11am Whale Sightings

Hello Fellow Whale Fans!

Today we boarded the Asteria under clear skies and a gentle breeze in hopes of finding some wildlife! We ventured to the Southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank and soon saw some unusual splashing ahead. We found ourselves in the company of 3 Atlantic White-Sided Dolphins, one of which had sustained a wound on its dorsal fin. This individual was breaching repeatedly, while two members of its pod followed closely on either side. We suspected a propeller wound from a motor vessel but were unable to determine the exact cause of the injury. While this was an incredibly sad sight, these encounters serve as a reminder that we are but visitors on the open ocean and must be responsible stewards of its residents.

Departing the area, we soon saw what looked like a fin sticking out of the water ahead. The clear water and calm seas allowed us great looks at what turned out to be a Mola Mola! We spent some time watching this bony fish waving its fins in the air before moving toward visible blows ahead.

We soon saw 3 blows scattered around some recreational and fishing vessels. Our first sighting was of Freckles, who was taking short dives and allowing us repeated looks at her flukes. Soon another whale surfaced nearby who we determined was Etch-A-Sketch! She, too, fluked several times, allowing us to compare the differences between hers and Freckles’ fluke patterns. Finally, we were joined by Diablo! It seemed these whales were engaging in some subsurface feeding as they milled about quite a lot and we saw remnants of several bubble clouds.

Before departing we came upon the NOAA vessel the Auk! The team aboard were wrapping up the most recent tagging study done on Stellwagen Bank and collecting shed tags from some whales in the area. An amazing opportunity to see science in action! We look forward to hearing about what the data contained in those tags can reveal about these incredible animals.

As a final sighting, we caught glimpses of a passing fin whale making it a 4 species day!

Until next time!

Linnea, Colin, and Caitlin

07-27-22

12pm Whale Watch Sightings

Good Afternoon whale watchers!

The Aurora headed out towards Stellwagen bank on beautifully calm seas in search of cetaceans. We ventured out to the southwest corner of the bank and quickly noticed many blows a head of us! Our sightings started with a fin whale who was gracefully travelling at the surface. This fin whale went down on a dive, so we continued on to some blows we had seen in the distance, where we found a pair of humpback whales! Not long after we had found this pair, they lunged at the surface behind us with their pleats expanded, clearly busy feeding! This behavior was especially impressive from Shuffleboard, who would launch herself out of the water while she lunged. Shuffleboard was joined by A-Plus, as they cooperatively fed together, surfacing with their pleats expanded on all sides of the boat. While watching this pair, we realized that a 3rd humpback had entered the area, who turned out to be Pitcher. Pitcher was also busy feeding, surfacing within large bubble clouds! We got some final looks at these whales before we had to reluctantly begin our journey home.

Overall, a FIN-tastic day for whale watching!

Sydney and Liza

07-28-22

10am & 2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings

Good evening, baleen buddies!

This morning the 10AM whale watch headed out on the Sanctuary towards the Northwest Corner of Stellwagen Bank. We found no whales there but did come across a Mola mola! This fish gave us fantastic looks on both sides before diving down. We then ventured on to Jeffries Ledge where we spent time with a flipper flapping Ravine, Spoon, and Spoon’s calf, as well as a more dive happy Jabiru. Satisfied and sunburnt we returned to Boston, thrilled to do it all again!

The afternoon trip had quite an increase in wind and weather, so we turned our bow towards the Southwest Corner of the Bank. There were several blows in the area (between eight to ten humpbacks), and we spent the most time with fan favorite Nile and her calf. These whales were going on short dives and Nile even breached for us once. It was a great day on the water!

Smooth sailing!

Mira and Rachel

07-28-22

11am Whale Watch Sightings

Hai semua,

Today aboard the Asteria, the 11am whale watch made its way out of Boston Harbor in search of whales and other marine life.  After a bit of searching, we spotted several blows in the area.  There was a single humpback whale who turned to be Ravine.  She was spending a lot of time at the surface, so we were able to get some great looks at her.  Most of our time on whales was spent with a trio of humpback whales who turned out to be Jabiru, Spoon, and her 2022 calf!  Spoon was doing what she does best and she was resting at the surface.  The calf and Jabiru were doing a bit more moving with the calf rolling around and even breaching once!  After some beautiful fluking dives from all of the trio (and one from Ravine in the distance) we made our way back to Boston.  It was a really great day out on Jeffries Ledge!

Sehingga lain kali

Colin and Olivia

07-28-22

12pm Whale Watch Sightings

Selamat tengah hari

The Aurora headed out on the 12pm whale watch towards the Southwest Corner of Stellwagen Bank in search of wildlife. Before even reaching the bank, we got a great close look at a fin whale. After this impressively large animal dove, we continued on to the bank and were met by a flurry of activity! A large pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins (numbering over a hundred) were busy feeding in the middle of 8-11 humpbacks! Through the entirety of the trip, these dolphins were slowly circling our vessel – between bouts of porpoising and launching into the air. With the many blows in the area, we first focused on a group of three individuals, which included Shuffleboard and Cantilever. We haven’t seen Cantilever yet this season, so it was great to see a new fluke! We then spent time with a mystery flipper-slapping whale and concluded our trip with Nile and her calf. This calf has definitely gotten big over the last few months, and it was cute to see mom and calf take synchronous dives.

What a lovely afternoon trip!

Kate and Caitlin

07-29-22

10am & 2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings

Good Evening whale enthusiasts!

This morning the Sanctuary headed out towards Stellwagen bank in search of cetaceans, and we were lucky to encounter some blows before even reaching the bank! We found ourselves in the presence of a sleepy pair of humpbacks, who turned out to be Dashdot and her 2022 calf! We got to enjoy some incredible looks at these 2 through the glassy seas, as well as a Minke Whale who was traveling through the area. The calf suddenly rolled over and engaged in some flipper slapping, before going down on a dive with mom! We noticed some other blows in the area and went to check out another humpback who turned out to be Bounce! While waiting for Bounce to return to the surface, we got some looks at a distant Fin whale, and what appeared to be a small pod of harbor porpoise. We got some final looks at Dashdot, her calf, and Bounce, who had drifted closer together, before we had to head home to Boston, excited to return in the afternoon!

The 2:30 pm trip returned to the same area, and quickly found a humpback and fin whale. These whales were taking long dives, so we decided to venture on to some more blows a little further Southeast of us. We realized we had entered what we affectionately call “Whale Soup” as there were likely close to 20 humpbacks spread out for miles around us! We started our time with a humpback named Zodiac who quickly went down on a dive, before finding Pitcher and Hippocampus, who were circling the area around us. We got some great looks at this pair, before heading over to an area with quite a few blows! We found ourselves with between 7-9 humpbacks in our immediate area, allowing for fantastic looks on all sides. We got a brief look at Dyad, while Etch-A-Sketch blew bubble clouds all around us and treated us to multiple close approaches! We also got some looks at Shuffleboard and Cantilever as they bubble net fed and lunged at the surface! While watching all these whales, we noticed another fin whale in the distance, and that Pitcher and Hippocampus had decided to join the feeding party and had travelled with us to this area! We got some incredible final looks at Etch-A-Sketch, Shuffleboard, Cantilever, Pitcher and Hippocampus as they fed on all sides of the vessel. We reluctantly had to head home, but not before some tuna jumping at the surface caught our attention, and led us to a bonus sighting of a pair of humpbacks that we are still working to ID.

Overall, a wonderful day for whale watching!

Sydney and Liza

07-29-22

11am Whale Watch Sightings

Today the Asteria headed towards the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank in search of wildlife. We were excited to find a very diverse flurry of activity there! We started watching a lone Humpback Whale named Bounce, who was taking high fluking dives and treated us to some lovely looks. After watching Bounce, we noticed a small fin pop out of the water and went to investigate. What we found was a beautiful Ocean Sunfish (Mola Mola), which was just beneath the surface. On a flat calm day like this one, we got to see the entire fish next to us! Once this sunfish started to swim away, we caught up with a Humpback mom and calf pair who were resting at the surface. It was Dashdot and her calf, who suddenly slipped beneath the waves, resulting in Dashdot erupting next to us in a tail breach! After this unexpected activity, she headed down on a dive, with her calf close behind. As they headed off, we headed further east to find a huge pod of Atlantic White-Sided Dolphins, who started porpoising around the boat. They started to swim towards another pair of Humpback Whales, who were resting peacefully at the surface. One of them was Shuffleboard, with her companion still to be identified. They rested right next to us, with shuffleboard lifting the top of her head out of the water ever so slightly. We then waved goodbye to our sleepy whales and after a brief sighting of a Blue Shark, a Minke Whale and a Fin Whale, we headed home to Boston. What a terrific day on the water!

Until Next Time!

David & Caitlin

07-30-22

10am & :230pm Whale Watch Sightings

Happy Saturday Whale Watchers,

This morning the Asteria headed to the Southwest Corner of Stellwagen Bank in search of whales. We had scarcely left Boston Harbor before getting a quick glance at some Harbor Porpoises and a Minke Whale before heading down to the bank. As we arrived, we saw a flurry of small splashes in front of us. It was a pod of Atlantic White-Sided Dolphins who were travelling quickly near the surface. After watching them for a while, we moved on to a pair of Humpback Whales, a mom and calf pair. It was Dashdot and her calf, the latter seeming to have just finished nursing, as there was a cloud of milk suspended in the water column near them. They settled into some resting at the surface for a while, but before long, the calf suddenly woke up. This calf then decided to roll over and start flipper slapping next to us! Mom continued to sleep, and after that bout of activity, the calf seemed to relax again and went back to its mother’s side. We were able to see several more blows in the area too, and after seeing a few glimpses at some other travelling Humpbacks, we headed back to Boston, excited for the afternoon.

The afternoon trip headed out to the same spot and found many Humpback Whales in the area still! We spent time with several whales throughout the trip, including Ravine, Valley, Shuffleboard, Mostaza and Dashdot with her calf. The whales were taking short dives and travelling slowly, allowing us some nice looks. It appears Dashdot and her calf separated a bit more from the other whales, so we went to spend some more time with them. We watched in sheer amazement when, while we were floating motionlessly, the calf emerged right next to our boat! Mom was right nearby, surfacing close to us as well. Soon after, we spotted another green cloud of mom’s milk deeper in the water, indicating another round of nursing! It was the perfect way to end a great Saturday on the water!

Until Next Time!

David & Maddie

07-30-22

11pg dan 3:30pm Whale Watch Sightings

Today aboard the Aurora, the 11am whale watch made its way out towards the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life.  As we got to the area, we spotted several blows.  We started on a pair of humpback whales who turned out to be Glo and Mostaza.  These two lovely ladies were taking fairly long dives, but they were spending a lot of time at the surface so we were able to get some really great looks at them.  At one point they both came up right next to the boat!  After some beautiful fluking dives from both, we headed over to a trio of blows.  It turned out to be Tripod, Pixar, and Bounce!  These three were logging at the surface which allowed us to get some fantastic looks at all three.  After all three came up right next to the boat (and you guessed it some beautiful fluking dives) we headed back to Boston.

The 3:30pm whale watch made its way towards the same area in hopes of some more great looks at marine life.  After some searching, we spotted a pair of blows.  This turned out to be Dashdot with her 2022 calf!  We got some brief looks at this dynamic duo, plus a single humpback whale yet to be identified, before moving on to some more blows.  We settled in on Valley and Ravine the humpbacks who were spending a lot of time at the surface.  Ravine even flippered slapped a few times not far from the boat!  After hanging with these ladies for a little while, Glo decided to join them making our pair a trio!  After some more beautiful fluking dives, we had to head back to Boston.  On our way back in, we got some really cool looks at the Boston Fire boat firing off their water cannons for a drill!  It was a really fantastic day out on Stellwagen Bank!

Flukes up and until next time,

Colin and Olivia

7-30-22

12pm dan 5pm Whale Watch Sightings

The noon whale watch set out on the Sanctuary towards the Southwest Corner of Stellwagen Bank. We began with a sleepy single humpback who we have yet to ID. This whale only showed its dorsal and did not so much go on non-fluking dives as it just sank below the surface. Since there were about ten to fifteen humpback whales in the area, we moved on to look at Bounce, Pixar, and Tripod. However, they began to get boxed in by the recreation boats in the area, so we moved along. We next came upon Mogul. While we were watching him, a small boat whizzed into the area, cut him off, and forced him to turn and dive suddenly so he would not be hit. 25% of the whales in this population have been hit by a boat in their lifetime and behavior from boaters like this is a leading cause. We moved on to get some last looks at a non-distressed whale. However, this was not to be as the last humpback we looked at was also cut off and went on a steep dive to avoid running into that boat. This was upsetting but the passengers felt very educated.

 

The 5pm trip set out to the same spot. There were about fourteen humpback whales in the area and one gray seal. We started with a logging Dashdot and her calf. But then we saw Zodiac breaching repeatedly! He breached, chin breached, and flipper slapped. When we got close, he breached again before returning to flipper flapping! He was briefly joined by Etch-a-Sketch who departed shortly thereafter and moved on. After all this excitement. Zodiac settled into logging. However, he gave us a beautiful fluking dive before we had to depart. Satisfied and sunburnt we returned to Boston!

Smooth sailing!

Mira and Liza

07-31-22

10am & 230pm Whale Watch Sightings

This morning, the Aurora headed out to Stellwagen Bank in search of wildlife. Scarcely after leaving the harbor, we got some fantastic looks at a slow moving Mola Mola near the surface before continuing to our destination. Once arriving at Stellwagen Bank, we got a quick glimpse at a sneaky Humpback whale before we spotted a flurry of blows, birds and splashes close to the surface. What we had stumbled onto was a full-on feeding frenzy! We had 8-10 Minke Whales lunge feeding around us, with two massive Fin Whales lunge feeding with them. We were completely surrounded by huge schools of fish close to the surface, with hungry whales all too eager to swallow them up. It was truly a remarkable sight! After some time with these whales, they started to spread out a little bit more, and we decided to push south. As we approached the southwest corner, we spotted some more Humpback Whales in the area, one of them being a male named Mogul, who went on a dive in front of us. As we waited for these whales to resurface, we looked down next to us and in the glassy clear sea, we were delighted to see Mogul gracefully cruise right next to us with a mouth full of fish! After doing a full spin under the water, he surfaced next to us once more before going on a dive. It was a delightful note to end the trip on, and we headed back to Boston, excited to go back out in the afternoon.

The afternoon trip switched it up and headed up north past the tip of Cape Ann and Thatcher Island to find quite a few Humpback Whales in the area! These whales were staying at the surface for long periods of time, with short fluking dives. We started with a lone Humpback named Patches, who seemed to lead us right to a group of three, which ended up being Spoon and her calf, along with Jabiru. We watched these whales for a while as they gracefully cruised next to us. As they started to settle into some deep dives, we noticed another lone Humpback Whale a little further out, who seemed to be on the move. This was a well-known female named Dross, who even delighted us with a tail breach! After watching her resume her travels to the south, we said goodbye to our whales and headed back for Boston. It was a spectacular day on the water!

Until Next Time!

David & Caitlin

07-31-22

11am & 3:30pm Whale Watch Sightings

Selamat petang

We boarded the Salacia and headed for the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank for the 11 a.m. whale watch. Upon arriving, we met up with a trio of whales, including Milkweed, her 2022 calf, and Pele. Unfortunately, Pele was sporting some serious new wounds around his tail stock, consistent with an entanglement. Though his behavior wasn’t abnormal, a notification was sent to our friends at the Center for Coastal Studies, so his condition can be monitored.

A pair of humpback whales surfaced on our port side, a sleepy mom and calf pair! Their lax behaviors allowed us some wonderful looks in the glassy seas. Soon enough, it was time for us to return to Boston in preparation for our afternoon trip.

Aboard the Salacia for the 3:30p.m. whale watch, we returned to the same area that we had been earlier in the day. We found ourselves in the presence of about six humpback whales, including Nile, her 2022 calf, Pixar, and Tripod! The adults were blowing deep bubble clouds while the calf lolled around at the surface. After a few looks, we noticed more blows a bit south, so we went to check them out. We were met with more deep feeding whales, with some random spectacular displays of surface activity! Mogul, Freckles, and Cantilever were present, but Dyad stole the show with tail breaching, lobtailing, and flipper slapping. Her energetic displays began to slow, and we started to make our way home, having spent another beautiful day on the water.

Flukes ke atas!

Ashlyn and Addy

08-01-22

10am & 2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings

Good Afternoon whale enthusiasts!

This morning the Sanctuary headed out in search of whales, and quickly found a single juvenile humpback whale amongst many small boats — we counted over 60 — off Deer island. This whale quickly began to feed,  lunging at the surface, often quite close to these boaters. While it was exciting to find a humpback whale so close to Boston, it was also concerning to see the density of boats surrounding this whale. We used this as an opportunity to discuss safe boating practices around whales, and a reminder that we are just visitors in these whales’ homes! Seeaspout.org is a fantastic resource to learn more about responsible boating practices.

We decided to continue our journey to the bank, where we found 2 sleepy humpbacks who turned out to be Dashdot and her Calf! We got some great looks at this pair as they stayed just below the surface, before moving on. We next found 2 humpbacks who were quickly traveling at the surface. We were excited to find Tripod and Pixar as they journeyed to the Southeast. We got some final looks at this pair before we had to return to Boston, and on our way home we got some bonus looks at the juvenile humpback whale off Deer island.

The 2:30 pm trip left the dock, and before long we again were able to locate the juvenile humpback. This whale had returned to lunge feeding, and thankfully the boat presence in this area had started to decrease, however this still reminded us of the major threats to whales, and how important safe boating practices are for perserving these species. We got some brief looks at this whale before we continued towards the bank. We quickly found a pair of humpbacks, consisting of Wyoming and another we are still working to ID. A 3rd humpback joined the area, and this turned out to be Ravine! We journeyed on to find Etch-A-Sketch, who greeted us with multiple close approaches, before getting some brief looks at Dyad, and then a familiar pair, Pixar and Tripod! After some fun looks at all these whales, we continued home to Boston after a great day of whale watching.

Best

Sydney and Addy

08-01-22

11am Whale Watch Sightings

Today the Asteria left the dock, headed for Stellwagen Bank to search for whales and other wildlife. While still in the harbor, we were alerted to the presence of a juvenile Humpback Whale near Deer Island. This whale was periodically lunge feeding in the middle of a cluster of recreational boats. While it is exciting to see whales so close to home, the presence of so many boats very close to this whale was a concerning reminder of the reality of vessel strike, a major threat to our whales. One of the best things we can do to protect these whales from vessel strike is to practice safe whale watching guidelines. We encourage recreational boaters to go to the website seeaspout.org and take the boater course on safe whale watch practices. With the noticeable presence of juvenile whales in the coastal waters of Massachusetts this summer, knowing the best ways to navigate around whales is the most beneficial thing we can do for their safety.

We continued to Stellwagen Bank, but not before getting a beautiful look at the US Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, making her way into the bay. As we left the Eagle behind, we spotted a few blows ahead of us, and found ourselves with some fully grown Humpback Whales, named Valley and Etch-A-Sketch. While we watched Etch-A-Sketch take short dives and travel slowly, we noticed Valley was behaving in a very strange way. Valley recently bears new scarring consistent with fishing gear entanglement, another threat to our whale population, but she was also travelling with noticeable difficulty. The thrashing manner of her movements and her flailing right pectoral flipper seem very consistent with an ongoing fishing gear entanglement scenario. While gear was not sighted, she behaved this way with each surfacing after her dives. We stayed on scene, documenting her condition, and keeping track of her position. This information was relayed in real time to the Center For Coastal Studies Large Whale Disentanglement Team, who are now aware of the situation. While today brought some of the threats to our whales front and center, it also showed us the importance of the data we collect, and how the tickets sold on these whale watches go to benefit the whales themselves.

As we let our sister ship Aurora head over to stay with Valley and continue assessing the situation, we headed back home to Boston.

Until Next Time!

David & Caitlin

08-01-22

12pm Whale Watch Sightings

Today’s 12p.m. whale watch aboard the Aurora was anything but a typical day. Our sightings started early, just off of Deer Island as a juvenile humpback whale was feeding in Boston Harbor! We’ve seen an uptick in this behavior, and it’s as important as ever to ensure the safety of this resilient species by allowing them to feed without disturbance. This young whale surprised us as we were out of gear by swimming under our pulpits, allowing for an amazing view, and a great example of how passive whale watching comes with great reward. We are entering the whales’ habitats when we venture out on our whale watching, and it is incredibly important for us to respect their space. Don’t forget about seeaspout.org!

Upon arriving in the southern end of Stellwagen Bank, an unfortunate sight greeted us. Humpback whale Valley was behaving very erratically at the surface, having had another recent interaction with fishing gear just yesterday. We stood by monitoring her condition, and while we couldn’t spot any gear on her, that does not mean she is out of the woods. We updated her condition to the disentanglement team at the Center for Coastal Studies, so that we can ensure she comes out on the other side of this in better health. A few other humpback whales were present, and we spotted a grey seal before we had to head home.

Certainly an atypical Monday, but it’s just as important to monitor the whales’ health as it is to enjoy our sightings of them. We are hoping the best for Valley, and will continue to promote safe boating practices for our hungry harbor whale friends.

Here’s to the whales!

Ashlyn and Rachel

08-02-22

10am & 2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings

This morning the Sanctuary headed towards Stellwagen Bank in search of wildlife. We made our way just off Race Point Beach on the tip of Cape Cod and found many blows scattered in the area. From what we were able to see, these all seemed to be Humpback Whales. We spent most of our time today with a group of five Humpbacks, named Cat’s Paw, Orbit, Nuages, Sundown and Glo. These whales were blowing bubble rings to encircle fish and would come up through the center of the ring, mouths agape! After a few of these bouts of feeding, two of these whales seemed to dive down very forcefully, only to rocket up next to us in a stunning double breach! This seemed to catch on to the rest of the group, and the group continued to breach repeatedly throughout the trip. It was a stunning and thorough look at this very rare behavior. One of the whales even rolled over and started to flipper slap as well! While we wished we could have watched them remain airborne all day, we started to head back home while they splashed behind us, eager to see what was in store for us for the afternoon.

In the afternoon we found quite a few Humpback Whales further west on the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank, very likely a lot of the same whales from earlier in the morning. These whales were taking very short dives and staying at the surface for a long amount of time, allowing us to get some great looks at them. Of the several whales in the area, we were able to identify Mogul, Dyad, Dashdot and her calf, Wyoming, and Ebony. As these whales continued on their way, we saw a nice sized splash a little further out and decided to go investigate. We were stunned to find that the animal creating this splash was a breaching Minke Whale, an extremely rare sight to behold! This animal breached a few times before behaving more like a typical Minke Whale and disappearing beneath the waves. Nevertheless, that was a first for me to see! We caught up with our Humpbacks again for some last looks before we said goodbye to our whales and headed back to Boston.

It was a spectacular day on the water!

Until Next Time!

David & Rachel

08-2-22

11am Whale Watch Sightings

The Asteria cruised out to Peaked Hill, just off the beaches of the Cape Cod National Seashore, and watched a large number of humpback whales and fin whales and were treated to fantastic sightings. We first stopped on Dashdot and her calf, with mom keeping quiet but the calf making up the difference with a series of tail breaches, breaches, and a bit of flipper slapping. Sundown caught our attention with some breaching of her own before we watched a group of four- Doric, Cats Paw, Orbit, and Nuages (nice job to intern Caitlin whose matching skills are becoming top rate). We rounded the trip with about a dozen fin whales, some of them in pairs and even a group of three. One the ride home we enjoyed a bit more breaching from Dashdot’s calf then a brief appearance by a pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins.

Laura L., Kate, and Caitlin

08-2-22

Noon Whale Watch Sightings

Good evening, Baleen Buddies!

Today the Aurora set out on the noon whale watch towards Peaked Hill off the tip of Cape Cod. This area is sometimes referred to as Finback Alley and given that we had approximately twenty finbacks in the area, it seems a fitting name! In addition to fin whales, a multitude of minkes flashed around the boat. We went on to watch four feeding humpbacks: Doric, Cats Paw, Nuages, and Orbit. These whales were blowing bubble nets and open mouth feeding. It was fintastic! We started to make our way out of the area and came upon another feeding whale: Freckles! We happily made our way home but when we reached Deer Island, there was a juvenile humpback, 22BH21, lunge feeding in among the recreational vessels. This harbor whale was also seen yesterday. It is concerning how close it was to small recreational boats and although these boaters were being very conscientious, we recommend all boaters check out https://seeaspout.org/ to learn how to boat safely around marine mammals.

Smooth sailing!

Mira and Addy

08-3-22

10am & 2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings

The Sanctuary sailed out into Massachusetts Bay and found three humpback whales scattered around us just north of the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank. Since they all maintained a pretty low profile, we moved on to a group of four- two cow/calf pairs! I was able to meet Venom’s calf for the first time with a big splash- the calf leaped high into the air in a full breach, landing on its side and taking up swimming with Milkweed’s little one. The mothers made intermittent appearances but mostly rested below the surface, and after a lovey morning with them we headed back to the city.

Sightings started early in the afternoon, with the young harbor whale making an appearance off Nix’s Mate. It then swam across the main ship channel toward Deer Island, illustrating the dangers of inhabiting such busy waters. Upon review of photos, I also noticed that this little guy has fishing line draped on its fluke. It’s my hope that it will fall off on its own, but it was reported and we’ll look for the whale again today to check on its status. We continued on and discovered two humpbacks logging to the west of Stellwagen Bank, and I was thrilled to discover that one of them was Valley! Reports from Monday indicated that she was acting very erratically and showed possible signs of distress, but she was resting alongside Ravine and lots of photos were taken to be able to zoom in on them and check for anything concerning. At one point she did start stretching and twisting, then Ravine rolled over and flipper slapped briefly. After a successful trip we enjoyed a beautiful ride back to Boston.

Laura L. and Olivia

08-03-2022

11am Whale Watch Sightings

The Asteria headed north of the Southwest Corner for the 11am whale watch. There was a plethora of activity and we first stopped on a minke whale. This smaller whale proved allusive, and we made our way over to some blows. There were two whales feeding, one which we quickly identified as Dross. Dross is a fan favorite, and she was doing her classic bubble cloud feeding next to our vessel. Unfortunately, Dross looked to have some new scarring consistent with entanglement – something that we have unfortunately seen all too often this season. She fortunately was acting normal and feeding, but a good reminder of the continuous threats that these whales face.

We then moved on to a group of four which consisted of two mom and calf pairs! This group of four consisting of Venom and her 2022 calf and Milkweed and her 2022 calf! This group of four was adorable and we happily wrapped up our whale watch! On the way back we got some great surprise looks at a mola mola. 

Hari yang hebat!

Kate, Sydney, and Gracie

08-03-22

12pm Whale Sightings

Peminat Ikan Paus Petang yang Baik!

Today we boarded the Aurora eager to search for whales and a cool breeze offshore. We made our way to the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank and found ourselves in the company of a couple of fellow whale watching vessels, belaying the presence of baleened companions below the surface.

Following the departure of our sister ship the Asteria, we were able to identify 2 mom-calf pairs nearby!  They soon revealed themselves to be Venom and Milkweed and their calves! Both Milkweed and Venom took several long dives while their calves entertained themselves, and us, at the surface. Both calves would take turns practicing their fluking dives, though only one was truly successful in that endeavor. This whale was visibly larger than the other calf,  perhaps indicating a slightly older baby. The smaller calf stuck close to the pair of adults, tucking in behind mom whenever she surfaced. The larger calf seemed to be spreading its wings and practicing a little more independence, spending more time away from the group and rolling over near our bow.

In addition to these lovely sightings of our four humpback whales, we also spotted 2 sharks in the area! We were able to identify one as a blue shark but were unable to verify the species of the second.

After watching the two mother-calf pairs for almost an hour, we gently made our way slightly north where we had heard reports of more whales in the area. We spotted an enormous raft of seabirds in the distance, primarily great shearwaters, and pointed our bow in that direction. We saw a blow amidst the birds, leading us to believe there was a feeding humpback in the area and even caught the tail end of a fluking dive. Before we were able to make an identification on this whale, our eyes were drawn to a Mola Mola basking at the surface! We got a few great looks before sneaking out of the area in the direction of Boston.

On our way home we spotted 2 whales in the distance, one engaging in some flipper slapping! We also had a surprise sighting of a third shark! We had to push onward, but we were happy for these last looks on this wonderful, multispecies day!

Until next time!

Linnea and Liza

08-04-22

10am & 2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings

Today the 10AM whale watch headed out on the Sanctuary towards Stellwagen Bank. There were several blows in the area and we decided to spend our time with Warrior and Freckles! This was the first time Warrior has been spotted by our team on the bank this summer! These two whales spent a lot of time at the surface while a pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins swam before their noses.

The 2:30PM trip was quite different as the weather had picked up considerably. The sea height was higher and the wind was up. We started our trip with Conflux and Music. They began by just swimming but then started tail breaching and then tail lobbing and then flipper slapping and then chin breaching and finally fully breaching! Throughout this it continued to get windier and windier. Because of the sea conditions and glare we decided to check out another whale, a breaching Jabiru! This pretty whale breached for us multiple times. We started to head towards Boston only to have Ravine and Valley swim past us. And then Hippocampus and A-Plus double breached. It was awesome! These two took turns breaching and then began flipper slapping and finally settled into normal diving again. We returned to Boston but before we got to the dock we came upon 22BH21, the harbor whale, on the north side of Deer Island. This whale was completing non-fluking dives and lunge feeding for menhaden. However, there were also many fishermen in the area which raises concerns about safe boating practices. To learn more, visit seeaspout.org and see how you can boat safely around whales.

Sail on!

Mira and Gracie

08-04-22

11am Whale Watch Sightings

Hai semua,

Today aboard the Asteria, the 11am whale watch made its way out towards Stellwagen Bank in search of whales and other marine life.  Before we reached the bank, we came across a decent sized pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphin!  We got some great looks at this playful pod before venturing on towards some blows in the distance.  These turned out to be several humpback whales.  We spent most of our time with a pair of humpback whales who turned out to be Hippocampus and A-Plus.  While these two were at the surface, a minke whale same right by them.  It was very interesting to see a minke whale that close to a humpback whale, and it was cool to see the size difference between the two species!  Our dynamic duo were spending a lot of time at the surface so we were able to get some great looks at them.  The highlight of the trip was when both these two came up right next to the boat and started actively hanging out with the boat!  A-Plus swam under the boat a few times allowing us to get some great looks at her!  Hippocampus even swam right across our bow and gave a very high, beautiful fluking dive!  These two then went back to their normal traveling behavior.  We ran out of time and had to head back to Boston.  It was a really great day out on Stellwagen!

Sehingga lain kali

Colin, Caitlin and Laura

08-04-2022

12pm Whale Watch Sightings

Selamat tengah hari!

The 12:00 whale watch headed out on the Aurora​​​ towards Stellwagen Bank. 5 miles before even reaching the bank, we were met with a plethora of blows! We first spent time with two sleepy whales – one of which was the easily identifiable Freckles! These two whales kept slowly lifting their rostrums out of their water – and we got some great looks next to our vessel! After spending some time with this pair, we moved onto another pair – Hippocampus and A-Plus. After watching some great fluking dives around the boat, we headed back to Boston!

Kate and Olivia

08-05-2022

10pg dan 2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings

Selamat petang

The 10am whale watch headed out on the Sanctuary towards Stellwagen Bank. With glassy calm seas and no swell, we were able to spot three sharks before even reaching the bank! After leaving these sharks behind, we found a massive pod of Atlantic white sided dolphins. These dolphins were quickly moving around the boat and launching themselves out of the water. We continued east and found two sleepy whales – Dashdot and her calf! The calm water gave us some amazing view of this mom and baby. We then moved on to the humpback Valley. Valley was recently entangled so it was great to see her moving healthily! We wrapped up our trip with Dashdot and calf again. The sleepy pair had woken up and it looked like the calf was nursing! We got to see some cute snaking movements from this calf (arching its back and lifting its rostrum out of the water) before heading back.

The 2:30 whale watch headed out again to the same location – a few miles before Stellwagen Bank. We were met by a spectacular pod of Atlantic White Sided dolphins – easily numbering over 150! This pod was absolutely fantastic, swimming and jumping all around our boat. We spotted multiple calves in this group – and got some awesome view of these small odontocetes as the fed and breached and jumped around the Sanctuary. In the middle of our pod of dolphins was a group of three humpbacks – A-Plus, Music, and Conflux. This group looked to be busy feeding, but we were able to witness a flipper slap from A-Plus! While watching this group, we witnessed A-Plus split from the other two – a great example of the dynamic associations we see on the bank. With storm clouds brewing in the distance, we happily returned to Boston. However, the whale watch is truly never over till we dock, as we got to see the infamous harbor whale. This juvenile humpback has been hanging out in the middle of Boston Harbor recently – and today we witnessed it breach right near our vessel!!

Hari yang hebat!

Kate and Liza

08-05-22

11am Whale Watch Sightings

Good afternoon, Baleen Buddies!

Today the 11AM whale watch found our whales in the Shipping Lanes. We began with Mostaza who was going on very long dives, so we ventured off to join Valley and A-Plus. These two whales were going on short dives until they settled into logging. As we were leaving, A-Plus woke up and slapped the water with her flipper. While we were with our whales, a blue shark went by. As we made our way out of the area, we saw a pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins. Satisfied and sunburnt we returned to Boston!

Pip pip cheerio,

Mira and Caitlin

08-05-22

12pm Whale Watch Sightings

Good afternoon Whale Enthusiasts!

The Aurora headed out towards the Stellwagen bank national marine sanctuary in search of whales, but before even reaching the bank, we encountered a pair of humpback whales who turned out to be Dashdot and Calf! We were treated to a Stellwagen mugging by the calf as it spy hopped, rolled, and flipper slapped around the boat! We were treated to absolutely incredible looks at this pair as they circled around our boat in extremely calm seas. We noticed a 3rd whale had entered the area, and quickly then joined the mom and calf with a flurry of trumpeting and thrashing, and this whale turned out to be Hippocampus! These interactions led us to wonder what these whales may be communicating to one another. These 3 continued to mug us and Hippocampus also engaged in some flipper slapping himself! We got some final looks at these 3 as they went on a fluking dive together, before moving on to see what else we can find. We happened upon a juvenile loggerhead sea turtle who was travelling at the surface for quite some time allowing us to get some great looks! We then found Valley and A-plus logging together and got some final looks at this pair of sleepy whales before heading home. On our way home, we also got a brief look at blue shark as we were travelling back to Boston!

Overall, a FIN-tastic day for whale watching!

Sydney and Gracie

08-06-2022

10am & 2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings

Good evening! – What a fantastic day out on the water!

The 10am whale watch headed out on the Asteria towards Stellwagen Bank. We started a little west of the Sanctuary with a pair of humpback whales – which included the individual Manhattan. These whales were taking very long dives, so we headed down south. After a bit of a drive, we found ourselves in the middle of 10-11 humpbacks. There were multiple solitary humpbacks feeding in the area – and we got to see not only kick-feeding but lunge feeding from Diablo around our vessel! These single whales started to join together, and we finished our time with a group of 7 humpback whales that included Bounce, Milkweed, Milkweed 2022 Calf, Venom, Venom 2022 Calf, Tear, and Gladiator. As the wind picked up, the whales became very surface active! We saw a burst of breaches from Venom’s Calf – and this individual launched itself out of the water for the remainder of the trip. Unfortunately, while watching these surface-active whales – we saw a boat drive through this group dragging fishing line in the water. Incidents like these can easily lead to entanglement, and we highly encourage removing any fishing gear from the water if you are driving in an area with marine mammals.

The 2:30 whale watch headed out to the Southwest corner again. The wind considerably picked up by the time we made it to the corner, but we found a group of four humpbacks – Milkweed, Milkweed 2022 Calf, Venom, and Venom 2022 Calf. We spent our trip with these adorable mom and calf pairs, and at times it seemed like a little whale play date! The moms would dive, leaving both calves at the surface. These baby whales seemed to “ride the waves”, almost looking like they were playing in the windy water. These calves were also very curious of our boat. Multiple times, with our boat safely in neutral, these calves approached us – swimming between the pulpits and around our boat – giving passengers some fantastic looks. At times, the calves looked to be practicing bubble cloud feeding. Often, we would see little bubble clouds form near the calves – and it’s cute to see these little whales mirror their mom’s movements. We also got a great look at a mola mola – a great surprise on such a windy day!

Very satisfied, we reluctantly turned back to Boston.

Kate and Caitlin

08-06-22

11pg dan 3:30pm Whale Watch Sightings

Dear Baleen Buddies,

Today the 11AM Whale Watch headed out to Stellwagen Bank in search of humpbacks. After a long search and having passed two long diving humpbacks, we came upon a group of six humpbacks! There were two calves breaching and four adults circling the boat. These whales were Venom and her calf, Milkweed and her calf, Tear, and Bounce.  It is rare to see an association of this many individuals and they were fin-tastic! Satisfied and sunburnt we returned to Boston to do it all again.

The 3:30PM trip headed out to a similar spot, but the sea conditions had changed with increasing wind and sea height although the swell was still low. On our way there we saw Atlantic white-sided dolphins. We saw a flipper slapping humpback who went on a dive as we approached so we went off to another area of white water. This turned out to be Dashdot and her calf who were breaching and tail lobbing! Gladiator appeared and all three went on a long dive, so we journeyed on. We then came upon Infinity, and he was putting on such a show! He breached in circles around the boat, he flipper flapped, he tail lobbed, and he tail breached. Satisfied and sunburnt we headed home!

Smooth sailing!

Mira and Liza

08-06-22

12pm & 5pm Whale Watch Sightings

Good evening Whale Watchers,

The 12pm whale watch headed out to Stellwagen eager to see whales. We very quickly found ourselves with a group of five humpbacks that included two mom-and-calf pairs and another adult. The whales were identified as Venom and her 2022 calf, Milkweed and her 2022 calf, and Tear. The three adults were taking short dives and spending very little time at the surface. While they were diving, we were kept quite busy with the two calves! Both of these young whales were breaching, flipper slapping, and tail lobbing around our boat! It was an incredible display of a variety of behaviors! While watching these calves, the three adults suddenly surfaced right next to our boat! All three whales dove and surfaced next to our boat multiple times before moving further away. We watched these whales until it was time for us to return home.

On the 5pm whale watch, we journeyed back to the same area of Stellwagen Bank. Before we made it to the bank, we found ourselves in the middle of a pod of Atlantic White-Sided Dolphins! We spent several minutes watching them porpoise around us before we slowly continued on. When we got to the bank, we were happy to find several blows in the area. Our first close sighting was of a whale named Infinity. Infinity seemed to be logging which gave us time to appreciate his size. After spending some time with Infinity, we made our way to an area with some other blows. Before we could get there, we found a minke whale that seemed to be circling our boat. When it got to our stern, it breached twice! Unfortunately, we were not able to spot the whale again, so we moved on to the blows we were originally aiming for. Those blows belonged to four familiar whales: Milkweed and her 2022 calf and Venom and her 2022 calf. Once again, Venom and Milkweed were taking short dives while the calves stayed at the surface. Both calves were engaged in a variety of surface behaviors including chin breaching, tail breaching, flipper slapping, and spy hopping. We watched these four whales until we had to return to Boston.

It was an eventful day on the bank!

Eman & Maddie

08-07-22

10am and 2:30pm Whale Sightings

We had a hot start aboard the Asteria for the 10 a.m. whale watch, but our sightings started with a bang as we watched our famous harbor whale breach up a storm near Spectacle Island. This youngster performed all sorts of breaches and even engaged in some flipper slapping, while environmental police made sure a safe distance was kept between the whale and all vessels. We left this whale behind and continued toward Stellwagen, where we were met by a solo humpback whale, Valley. Our keen intern Rachel spotted some splashing at the surface, indicating the presence of Atlantic White-Sided dolphins! After some time with these animals, we continued east, meeting with Orbit and GOM-1562, who were resting at the surface. Their lazy movements allowed for some exceptional looks, but we allowed them to rest and moved on to some disturbances ahead of us. Nile and her 2022 calf were surrounded by some more dolphins, the calf seemingly associating with these odontocetes. The curious young one threw its’ flippers and tail around, repeatedly rolling over in our company. All too soon, it was time to head home, and we did so excited for the afternoon.

The 2:30 p.m. trip headed toward the middle of Stellwagen Bank, but we were stopped well west of Stellwagen by Dashdot and her 2022 calf! Their time at the surface was extended, allowing for some great looks, but soon they disappeared on an equally extended dive. We then headed to some other blows, surprised by a breach off our starboard side! Pitcher had a sudden burst of energy, before resuming her nap at the surface and being joined by Orbit. They seemed sleepy, yet curious, never straying far from the vessel, but relaxed in their movements. We enjoyed this pleasant encounters and these wonderful looks, when suddenly we looked north and noticed a large pod of Atlantic White-Sided dolphins making their way over! For the next few minutes, these dolphins porpoised, breached, and swam under and around the boat, aweing passengers. Soon enough, it was time to return to Boston, and as Pitcher gave one slow flipper slap, we said goodbye to our friends.

A special thanks to Emily and Matt from WCVB for joining us on our 2:30 trip and asking some hard-hitting questions about responsible whale watching. It was a pleasure working with the pair, and an honor to introduce Emily to her first whales.

Flukes ke atas!

Ashlyn and Rachel

08-07-22

11am & 3:30pm Whale Sightings

Aboard the Sanctuary, the 11 AM whale watch headed out to Stellwagen Bank. When we got to the bank, we were greeted with half a dozen blows all around! Our first close sighting was of a Humpback whale named Valley. Valley was taking longer dives so we watched her for a few minutes before moving on to another pair of Humpback whales. One individual in the pair remains a mystery, but the other individual was identified as Cantilever! Both of these whales were swimming at a slow pace and taking dives consistently. After some time with the duo, we found another pair of Humpback blows in the area. One of the blows belonged to a whale that is currently referred to as GOM-1562. The other whale has not been identified yet. Just as we were thinking about heading back to Boston, we saw a large splash in the distance. As we made our way over, we found a Humpback mom and calf pair – Nile and her 2022 calf! Nile spent most of the time down on a dive, but the calf kept busy with several tail breaches! Grateful for a fantastic day on the water, we headed back to Boston.

The 3:30 PM whale watch was full of excited passengers, many of which had never seen whales before! Just as we made it out of the harbor, a small flapping fin caught our eye. It was an ocean sunfish (Mola mola)! The large fish stayed at the surface long enough for everyone to catch a look, and then we continued onward to whales. When we got to Stellwagen Bank, we noticed a few blows in the area. But before we could get to the whales we spotted, we found a pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins. These dolphins were porpoising all around the boat. After some quality time with the toothed whales, we moved on to find some of the baleen whales we had briefly spotted earlier. We found two humpback whales in the area: Pitcher and Orbit. Both of these whales were consistently taking dives but staying at the surface long enough for us to appreciate their size and beauty! One of the whales even surprised us with a large tail breach, which was an exciting addition to our trip!

We returned home to find Boston covered by brooding clouds that threatened us with fantastic thunderstorm!

Eman & Olivia

08-07-22

12pm & 5 pm Whale Watch Sightings

This afternoon the Cetacea headed out on the 12pm whale watch in search of whales, and before even reaching the bank, we encountered our first blows. We spent our trip with 2 veteran female humpbacks, Warrior, and Orbit! These lovely ladies were likely busy taking a nap, as we watched them slowly travel, spending lots of time at the surface. We were also treated to a close approach by these 2 as they surfaced close to us off our starboard side! We enjoyed our time with these whales and got some fantastic last looks before we had to head home, eager to return in the afternoon.

Aboard the Cetacea on the 5pm whale watch, we braved building seas in search of whales. Before leaving the Harbor however, we did get some brief looks at 22BH21, a juvenile humpback who has been spending some time in Boston Harbor, who was busy lunge feeding off deer island. While watching this whale, we unfortunately saw 3 boaters travel at full speed through the area where this whale had last been seen, an unfortunate reminder of the major threats these whales face. We used this as an opportunity to discuss the federal regulations protecting these whales in more detail and encouraged passengers to check out https://seeaspout.org/ . We continued on towards Stellwagen, but we again found whales west of the bank! Some splashing caught our attention, and we headed over to a pair of humpback whales, where Pitcher greeted us with a huge breach! We waited to see if this behavior would continue, and we were excited to see Pitcher as she continued to breach and flipper slap throughout our trip! In total, we counted at least 10 breaches during our time here! Pitcher was joined by Orbit who was taking slightly longer dives, but eventually they joined back together. We were starting to watch the clock when Pitcher surprised us with another breach very close to the port side! We got some final looks at this pair as they began to head away from us, before making our way home to Boston in stormy seas.
Overall, a fantastic day for whale watching!

Sydney and Gracie

 

 

Lebih Banyak Imej daripada Minggu Ini

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boston Whale Watching: Naturalist Notes – 7/19/22 to 7/24/22