Whale Sightings 5/12/25 to 5/18/25. Please find the Naturalist Notes for the week of 5/12/25 to 5/18/25 from the onboard team of naturalists for our New England Whale Watching tour in partnership with the New England Aquarium.
Friday, 5.16.25
12:00pm Whale Watch Sightings
Hello all,
Today aboard the Aurora, the 12pm whale watch headed offshore in search of whales and other marine life. We started off with some brief looks at some Atlantic white-sided dolphins as well as a minke whale not far from Minots Light. We continued on our search for wildlife, scouring Stellwagen Bank. After running the bank with no luck in sightings we started to make our way back to Boston. Our luck changed, however, when we spotted a large blow not far from the Graves! This turned out to be Dross the humpback whale who seemed to be foraging for bait fish. Dross was taking very short dives which allowed us to get some wonderful looks at her. While we were watching Dross, we spotted a very large dorsal fin approaching the boat. This turned out to be a massive basking shark! This shark swam right next to the boat wowing passengers and naturalists alike! Dross was not one to be outshined as she popped up not far from the boat! We were also amazed by a very brief but incredible look at a sei whale! I have not personally seen a Sei whale in three years, so I was absolutely astonished as this whale swam across our bow! After one last great approach from Dross we had to make our way back to Boston. It ended up being a really amazing day out on the water!
Until next time,
Colin and Mariapaula
Saturday, 5.17.25
10:00am Whale Watch Sightings
Good Evening Fellow Whale Enthusiasts!
We boarded the Asteria for the 10am trip with spirits high gray skies and made our way toward Stellwagen Bank. Beginning our search in the Midbank area, we made our way south, keeping eyes on the water for any whales we might encounter. After a brief search, we suddenly spotted a splash ahead and soon found ourselves in the presence of an airborne minke whale! This exciting and explosive sighting lasted a few short minutes before the whale moved on and disappeared beneath the waves! Continuing our journey south, we made a valiant effort to locate more whales, sweeping the southeast and southwest corners of the Bank, before pointing our bow back toward Boston. We caught a quick glimpse of a humpback, but the whale soon dove and did not reemerge. Near Minot’s Light we caught a few quick looks at the notoriously speedy and often elusive fin whale! Though we were lucky to spot 3 different species, we were unable to spend much time with any of our three whales, so rainchecks were issued for all passengers.
Until next time!
Linnea, Jaydi, and Sydney
2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings
Good Evening Fellow Whale Enthusiasts!
For our 2:30pm trip we made our way back to the southwest corner of Stellwagen Bank, hoping to relocate the humpback whale we had caught a glimpse of earlier in the day. After a dedicated search we finally spotted a telltale blow in the distance and found ourselves in the company of Diablo! She was taking short, rapid dives, suggesting she might be engaging in some feeding below the surface! This suspicion was further confirmed when she showed us why we call whales the “Farmers of the Sea”! We trailed behind as she continued to take short, meandering dives before making our way back to Boston in the golden hour sun that had emerged over the course of the afternoon.
All in all, a wonderful day on the water! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has in store.
Until next time!
Linnea, Jaydi, and Sydney
3:30pm Whale Watch Sightings
Hello,
On our 3:30pm trip aboard the Aurora on the 05-17, we ventured farther offshore than many had been before. Over 50 miles from Boston, a dramatic sight unfolded: a wall of towering, columnar blows stretched across the horizon! Our anticipation grew as we drew closer, and within no time, we found ourselves surrounded on all sides! We counted over 30 humpback whales actively feeding in every direction! The whales created a breathtaking spectacle of nonstop kick feeding and bubble feeding. Amid the chaos of foraging, we were also treated to a few breaches and other surface active behaviors.
We’re still combing through the hundreds of photos taken during the trip, but we’ve confirmed the identities of many of our hungry humpbacks, including Satula, Pele, Underline, Ventisca, Hammock, Jupiter, Nile, Samara, Eruption, Wizard, Glo, and Lavaliar. We were especially excited to see Eruption having not seen her at all in 2024! HUGE shoutout to Ashlyn and Sydney for helping ID these whales!
We also saw a lot of juvenile gannets.
It was a PHENOMENAL beginning to what we hope will be a season full of whale piles like this!
Until next time,
Eman and Ashlyn
Sunday, 5.18.25
10:00am Whale Watch Sightings
Good evening whale enthusiasts!
The Asteria headed south in search of whales and found an area not too far from Boston full of marine life! We found Diablo busy bubble cloud feeding and even showed off her pleats with some upside-down lunges. We also got great looks at a basking shark, and some quick looks at 2 fin whales and a sei whale! We reluctantly headed home excited to return in the afternoon.
Sydney and Mariapaula
2:30pm Whale Watch Sightings
Good evening whale enthusiasts!
The 2:30 trip returned to find Diablo and a fin whale. We also got some quick looks at a basking shark and 2 more humpbacks on our way home.
Overall a wonderful day for whale watching!
Sydney and Mariapaula
3:30pm Whale Watch Sightings
Good evening,
On the 3:30pm whale watch, the Aurora ventured out to find whales. Our first sighting was a logging humpback whale, peacefully resting at the surface. Upon closer look, we identified her as Diablo. After several minutes of calm observation, Diablo suddenly shifted into action, treating us to a spectacular display of bubble cloud feeding. As we watched Diablo, we also spotted Mogul, another well-known humpback, surfacing nearby. As a bonus sighting, a fin whale made a brief appearance on our way back to Boston.
It was a great day on the water!
Eman and Jaydi
Boston Whale Watching: Naturalist Notes – 5/12/25 to 5/18/25