Now, for what we did get to see. We started our trip passing several pods of Harbor Porpoise. These small whales are shy around boats so we generally don't stop to look at them, but we got some decent looks as we passed by. Our first large whale of the trip was an adult Sei Whale who was busy feeding on plankton just below the surface. Sei Whales can sometimes be a bit challenging to get good looks at as they tend to stay just below the surface and only come up for a breath or two at a time. This one was behaving this way, but we did manage to get some great looks before our next whales showed up.

While we were watching the Sei Whale, another whale was seen in the distance. This whale was identified as a North Atlantic Right Whale and while we were observing it from a distance a smaller whale made it's way over to the larger one. It turned out we were in the company of a mother and calf pair. Words can't really express how unique and special a sighting like this really is. At an estimated 350-400 This is a species that's literally on the verge of becoming extinct thanks to the early days of whaling. Even now as they're a highly protected species they still face many life threatening dangers including ship strikes, pollution, and entanglements. Any one of these things can and most likely will result in the loss of another life which is a huge loss for the species as a whole. The mother of this pair was missing the left tip of her fluke, but thankfully whatever happened to her did not result in her death. In fact, she was able to go on and produce a calf which hopefully will also live a long, healthy, and productive life to help keep their species alive.

After getting some distant looks at the mother and calf pair of Right Whales we moved out of the area to see what else we could find. Shortly after, we found our next whales. This time it was a pair of Humpback Whales identified as Mantis and Venom (both new whales for me). When we first arrived Venom was rolling over at the surface while Mantis traveled along. While we were with these two whales they made several very close passes by the boat allowing us to take in some of the most incredible looks I've ever gotten. We watched this pair for a while before moving on to our next sightings of some very familiar whales known as Flask who was traveling along with Quote and her calf. Flask is a regular to our area, but he hasn't been seen to much this season. It was very nice to see that he looks healthy as he prepares to make his migration down south. I had seen Quote once before in 2003 when she was logging (sleeping) with two other adult whales named Sickle and Chromosome. After missing her for 5 years it was great for me personally to see her for a 2nd time, especially since she was in the company of her new calf! We finished our trip watching the trio doing a lot of deep feeding.

It's hard to believe that there are only 4 more days of whale watching left. This Wednesday and Friday at 10am and Saturday and Sunday at 11am. If you've been thinking of going out, do it before it's to late!
 

We started our trip with a couple of Minke Whales, one of which we got some really nice looks at. These whales were followed by our first rare sighting of the day, a large Ocean Sunfish. These fish are definitely one of the craziest looking fish that I've ever seen. Their bodies appear to be flattened which makes they look like a large oval. They can grow to be as large as 10 feet long from the tip of one fin to the other and can weigh up to 1 ton! Their diet consists mainly of jellyfish. These fish are sometimes seen at the surface basking in the sun much like this one was doing when we found it. They also tend to be somewhat curious about boats and will often approach them pretty closely. Although, this one seemed to be a little shy and kept it's distance from us. We still managed to get some excellent looks before moving on.

Our next sighting of the day was a large adult Fin Whale who was very busy feeding below the surface. It was swimming in tight circles and after going on a terminal (deeper) dive it would resurface with this pleats fully distended. This was an excellent whale to stop on as it's dives were short and it was staying relatively close to us while under the water. After getting some really nice looks at this whale, we moved on to see what else we could find. 

Within a few minutes we had our next whale sighting... a VERY rare and special one. It was not just one, but two adult North Atlantic Right Whales! With only an estimated 400 of these whales left in the world this was a very welcomed, but surprising find. Due to the fact that these whales are so critically endangered they cannot be approached like the other whales we see. In fact watching them has to be done from a very safe distance strictly for their protection. These whales are especially prone to entanglements and ship strikes which more times than not are fatal. We're actually facing the fact that these whales may become extinct within the next century if something doesn't change..... fast!

While we were watching these whales several other whales made their way in the area. Of these new whales we had another large adult Fin Whale, a pair of Sei Whales (who passed right along side us giving us some nice looks), and two more North Atlantic Right Whales! This is more Right Whales than I've seen since 2001 - 2008 combined! It was an absolutely amazing experience and I'm so thankful I was there to see it!

While we were watching all of these whales the crew on the Granite State did a plankton tow. This is where a net with a container is dropped into the water to trail behind us while it collects plankton. They were able to get the best plankton sample I'd ever seen which was proof of how much food was out there and why there were so many whales around. It's amazing to know that these Right Whales (who can grow to be roughly 60' long and weigh as much 100 tons) feed almost exclusively on these tiny little organisms.

The morning started out on a great note with a couple of nice Fin Whales, including a whale named Dingle, who were busy 'deep feeding'. This is when the whales are feeding below the surface where we can't see them. They use up a lot of energy while feeding though and they have to spend quite some time at the surface for air which is how we're able to see them. We got some excellent looks at these whales before heading back to the harbor.

The afternoon was much more exciting. We started off with a nice adult Fin Whale who was feeding at the surface. At one point this whale surface on it's side giving us an amazing look at it's 12' long pectoral fin along with it's belly. It's definitely not every day you get to see a Fin Whale rolling at the surface so it was quite surprising to see! 

After spending several minutes with this Fin Whale we moved on to our next sighting which was a nice pod of North Atlantic White Sided Dolphins. There were at least 30 in this pod and there were a couple of very tiny calves. I'd never seen calves so small so they're definitely very new! These Dolphins spent most of the time while we were watching them going back and fourth under the boat spending time on both sides which is nice as it gives everyone time to get some nice looks!

We finished our trip with another nice surprise, an adult Humpback Whale named Hornbill. This was my 3rd time seeing this whale so it was nice to see that he's still out there and doing well for himself. We spent quite a bit of time with Hornbill before our time was up and we had to head for home. It was another great day!

August 13, 2008 - Pilot Whales Once again!
Today turned out to be another amazing day out on the ocean. After going on several cloudy, hazy, and/or foggy trips recently we finally got a break with a nice bright and sunny day. The weather alone would've made this a great day to be out on the ocean with or without the whales, but luckily, we also had great whale sightings!

Our first sighting was a very unique, but very welcomed surprise! We stopped in an area where there were an estimated 100+ Pilot Whales spread out over several miles. It didn't matter which direction you looked in, they could be seen everywhere breaking the surface, half breaching, spyhopping, and tail slapping. There were several young calves in this group who were very easy to tell from the adults not just because of their size, but also because of their color. When they're born, they're actually a gray color and as they mature they darken until they eventually become black. Unlike most of the whales we see, the adult males Pilot Whales are also easily told apart from the females by the size and shapes of their dorsal fins. The males have a much larger and broader fin.

A couple smaller groups made very close passes by the boat allowing us to get some excellent looks. At one point a very close knit group approached the right side of the boat and one of the calves started to roll over a little bit and then it lifted it's flukes up and out of the water. The calves were so small compared to the adults and they were so adorable!

This was my second Pilot Whale sighting of the 2008 season and after missing them so much for the past 5 years it was definitely an extra special sighting for me personally. I was kind of in disbelief for a little while that we found them again and on a nice sunny day to top it off! I couldn't have asked for more. My photos from this trip came out so much better than my last sighting on 8/2 which was an overcast day. If you had told me at the beginning of the season that I'd see Pilot Whales not once, but twice by mid August there's no way I would've believed you!

We spent the majority of our time with these nice Pilot Whales, but we eventually moved on to find a large adult Fin Whale to spend some time with. We were able to relocate the Pilot Whales again in the afternoon, although there weren't as many of them. We had some other nice sightings including a Fin Whale as well. Overall it was a very nice day to be on the water in the company of whales. Definitely one of my top trips!

August 10 2008 - Fin Whales in the fog.
We got off to a pretty scary start this morning with some very thick fog inshore, but luckily the further offshore we went the better the visibility got. We also had some nice whales to watch as well! 

It's not very often that I leave my cameras in my bag, but today was one of those days. I decided to just sit back and actually enjoy watching the whales instead of video taping them. The highlight for me today was in the morning trip when we found a couple of Fin Whales who were traveling individually, but eventually they met up and started traveling together. We got some excellent looks before heading back to the harbor.

In the afternoon we were able to get some more looks at some nice Fin Whales and we also had a nice surprise just beyond the Isles of Shoals on the way back to the harbor. It was a small pod of North Atlantic White Sided Dolphins. They were on a mission as they were cruising through the ocean at a very fast speed. We weren't able to get to close to them because they were going so fast, but it was still a great note to end the day on!

August 2, 2008 - Finally.... the Pilot Whales return to Jeffrey's Ledge!
WOW! What a day! The weather was far from perfect, but in the end it didn't really matter because the whale activity was spectacular to say the least.

The morning trip started out on a great note with a nice adult Fin Whale who was very cooperative. This whale, who had a very distinctive dorsal fin, was taking shorter dives and not traveling very far at all while beneath the surface. This allowed us to get some incredible looks before moving on in search of more whales.

After traveling for a little bit we had a pretty neat sighting of some bait fish jumping out of the water. There was most likely some Blue Fin Tuna or some other larger fish chasing the school bait fish. It was a pretty cool thing to see as we passed by.

Our next whale sighting was a decent sized pod of Pilot Whales. This was a very special sighting for me personally as I'd been waiting since 8/9/03 to see these guys again. The last sighting of Pilot Whales on Jeffrey's Ledge was in 2005, but unfortunately for me I wasn't on that day. On Monday, 7/28/08 the Granite State was fortunate enough to have found Pilot Whales, but just like in 2005 I wasn't on the boat. I thought for sure that I had missed my only chance of seeing them yet again. Being more of a rare sighting for us here, if you miss them once chances are good you won't have the opportunity to see them again that same season. Thankfully, I thought wrong and just one week shy of the 5 year anniversary of my last sighting, I was able to see them again!

There were several small calves in this pod and quite a few of them were in a playful mood as they normally are. Some of them were having fun rolling over, swimming upside down, spyhopping, tail slapping, etc. They were very entertaining and I was so excited to be on the boat to witness it for myself!

We, along with a few other whale watching boats, were able to relocate these Pilot Whales to enjoy the rare sighting again in the afternoon. Pilot Whales feed primarily on squid and there has been a lot of squid reported in the area by fishermen so hopefully the Pilot Whales will stick around for a little while longer so we can get some more nice looks at them. They're so much fun to watch, a true crowd pleaser!

As we turned around to head back for home a little bird ID'd as a female Cowbird decided to catch a ride back to shore. This little bird was a log way from home (at least 20 miles offshore) and was exhausted. She ended up on top of the pilot house where she was sheltered from the wind in some rope and she rested most of the way home. About 6 miles off shore she got it up and started making her rounds all around the boat until we got back to the harbor where she took off. It was the perfect way to end an awesome day of whale watching!

Video Clips From Today's Trip:

July 26, 2008  - The Humpbacks have disappeared!
Today was very warm and sunny with a bright blue sky. It was nice to finally have a day without any fog! There were several Common Terns and Double-crested Cormorants busy hunting for fish in the harbor. It felt like it was going to be great day on the ocean.

A couple of days ago we had some pretty severe weather go through the state including a rare tornado! I was very concerned about what effect it might have on the ocean and the whales. It seemed to have mixed things up quite a bit, but luckily the whales were still out there and the sightings were still great.

We started our morning trip today with a couple of Minke Whale who gave us a lot of up close looks. Minke Whales don't normally get very close to boats, but for some reason these whales made several close passes which allowed us to get some really amazing looks. The sun was shining just right and we were able to follow the whales under the water by the white patches on their pectoral fins known as the "Minke Mitten".

The afternoon trip was pretty much the same although we were also treated to a nice adult Fin Whale who also gave us some excellent looks. There was also a Blue Shark who made an appearance while we were watching the Fin Whale. This was my first Blue Shark sighting so it was really neat for me personally!

Video Clips From Today's Trip:

July 20 2008 - Great Dolphins and a juvenile Humpback treated us to a little bit of spyhopping!
The weather today was far from ideal. It was warm, but foggy and hazy with passing rain showers. Even under these circumstances we managed to get in two excellent trips with a lot of great whale activity.

Our morning trip started off early with sightings of a Harbor Seal and a Minke Whale pretty close to the Isles of Shoals (about 6 miles off shore). Because the whale activity had been so much better offshore we passed by these two sightings to give us a better chance of spending time with more whales offshore. After traveling for a little while we ended up in a spot with several Humpback Whales who were busy feeding. Among these whales were #0803 who is very easily recognized due to some entanglement scarring on it’s tail, #0806 who I’d seen on 6/7/08, #0811 who I'd seen a couple of times this season, Rouge who I’d seen the day before, #0817 who was a new whale for me, Rogue who I'd seen the day before, and yet another unknown whale of 2008. This whale will be numbered #0818 if it's not identified. We spent most of our time here with #0803 and #0806 as they made several very close passes by us.

After spending time with these whales we headed out to spend time with another Humpback who was seen in the distance. On our way over to it, it breached (jumped) clear out of the water. I missed most of it, but I did see the large splash which was pretty impressive. Shortly after the first breach it did it one more time which I was able to see. This was a whale known as Gavel who I had seen the day before as well. Once we got close enough to Gavel, he (or she) stopped displaying this rare behavior, but it was impressive to see even at a slight distance! 

After spending a few minutes with Gavel we had to head back to the harbor. On the way back a large Fin Whale popped up pretty close to the boat so we stopped to take a look at it, but unfortunately this whale had traveling on it’s mind and when it resurfaced it was well behind us. We were starting to run late so we couldn't go back to check it out, but we still had excellent results with the whales we were able to spend time with.

Back at the harbor in between trips there were several Common Terns in search of fish as well as some Double-crested Cormorants who were also concentrating on feeding. One of the Cormorants dove behind the boat and when it came back, it had a very large fish in it’s mouth. It was quite entertaining watching it try to swallow it. I didn't think it would be able to, but it somehow managed it! 

The afternoon trip started off on a surprising, but very welcomed note as we found a very large pod of North Atlantic White Sided Dolphins. This was only the 3rd time this season that Dolphins had been sighted by the Granite State and it was my first time seeing them this season. I absolutely love the Dolphins so this was a very nice way to start the trip! 

This pod was very large and there were a lot of calves. There were several mother and calf pairs who swam very close to the boat giving us some excellent looks. At one point there was a pair that breached side by side which I couldn't catch with my camera, but luckily there was a 3rd Dolphin who did the same thing which I was able to catch. We watched the Dolphins for quite a while before heading further offshore to see if we could find more whales.

Our next sighting was a Humpback that we saw earlier in the day. An adult named Rogue. We got into the area just in time to see Rogue go on a deeper dive, but unfortunately for us it didn't resurface very close to us. A second Humpback was seen in the distance so we ended up heading over there. Just as Rogue did, this Humpback also disappeared. We waited for several minutes, but didn't see it resurface so we turned around and headed back towards where Rogue was last seen. After waiting several more minutes it resurfaced so we headed over to that area. It never raised it's flukes so we didn't think it went on a deeper dive, but it couldn't be seen anywhere either so we had no clue where it was going to come back up. We sat there waiting for it to show up again and luckily for us it did very close to the boat. It was up for a few breaths before once again disappearing under the surface for several minutes. This is where the fun began!

This whale resurfaced very close to the boat and then it sank below the surface far enough so that we couldn't see it anymore. All of a sudden you could start to see it slowly drifting back towards the surface thanks to it's flippers which appear to be a bright green color under the water. It came up just enough to stick the very tip of it's head out of the water, took a few breaths and then sank below the surface yet again. After a minute or so you could see it starting to come back up to the surface again when it spyhopped! This is when the whale sticks it's head out of the water. This is my 8th year of whale watching and this was my first time seeing this behavior in person. It was very exciting for personally to see it especially considering the fact that the Granite State had been seeing this quite a bit on trips that I wasn't on.

After spending a few more minutes by the boat this whale decided to go on about it's business as it left the boat. This whale was the same unknown whale from the morning trip. It will most likely to be numbered #0818 so it doesn't have a name just yet, but I'm thankful that it decided to come check us out and show me a little spyhopping!

Even though the weather was far from perfect the whales were incredible. The breaching in the morning was a very impressive sight, but for me personally the highlight of the day was when the curious young whale spent several minutes within feet of the boat. Breaching is a rare behavior that a lot of people go whale watching to see, but I personally prefer the close encounters. To be so close to an animal so large is amazing - words just can't describe it! 

Video Clips From Today's Trip:

July 19 2008 - So many Humpbacks!
What a gorgeous day it was today! It was beautiful weather and the whale watching continued to be consistently great. Today's trip was very chaotic, but in a good way. There were so many whales around that it was hard to keep track of who was who.

We ended up in an area where there were at least 9 Humpback Whales circling around as they did some feeding below the surface. Among the confirmed whales were Gavel, Owl & Calf,  Rouge, and a bunch of the unknowns that we've been seeing throughout the season including; #0803, #0806, #0807, #0811, and #0817.

There was no rare, showy behavior like breaching, but it was still very entertaining watching these animals going about their normal day to day business of eating. They seemed to be alternating their diving patterns so that when one whale went down on a deeper dive another would surface close by. This gave everyone a great chance and plenty of time to see them.

The highlight for me besides seeing Owl and her new calf again was when we had two different whales make a very close pass by the boat shortly after we got to the area. It's so awesome when they come so close to the boat that you can hear them inhale after exhaling!

Another interesting thing about today was the number of seabirds that we saw. There were a lot of Wilson's Storm Petrels, Shearwaters, and Terns around. We were actually chased most of the day by many different Common Terns.

July 12, 2008 - Owl and her calf again!
Today was another picture perfect day out on the ocean. It was absolutely beautiful weather and the sea conditions were just about as good as they get. The whales were still out there as well which made things that much better. 

We started our trip with a nice surprise as we found Owl and her calf back in the area. It's always nice to see familiar faces - or tails - coming back to the area to see that they're still doing well. Especially in Owl's case since she's caring for a new calf as well. Along with Owl and her calf we had Hangglide, Lacey's 2007 Calf, and #0803 in the same area. All of them were busy taking advantage of the large food supply.

We stayed with these whales for a while before heading off to look for more whales. Shortly after leaving them another Humpback was spotted in the distance. It was heading right in towards the boat so the engines were shut off for the whale's protection. Whale watching without the sound of the engine running is awesome. It's so quiet and you can hear the whales inhale and exhale as they travel along. This whale continued swimming in towards us and ended up swimming right under the bow of the boat. It was so close that when it exhaled we actually got some of the spray on us which was pretty neat. This whale never raised it's flukes so we don't know who it was, but it was still a nice sighting to have!

Our next sighting was another pair of Humpbacks. One was identified as Komodo and the other was a new whale this season and has been numbered #0807. These two whales each gave us some excellent looks before we had to head for home. It was another day well spent with the whales!

July 11, 2008 - Two mother and calf pairs!
We're about months into the season and it's already been more than I was ever expecting. The sightings have been consistent and great every day that I've gone out. Today was no exception.

In the morning we ended up in an area where there were at least 9 Humpbacks. Of the named whales we had Bungee and calf, Egret (a first for me), Komodo, and Valley. There were also several unnamed whales including Apex 06 Calf, #0802, #0803, and #0811. This was just my second time seeing Bungee and her calf this season so that was a very nice surprise for me. It was also nice to see Valley who I'd seen for the first time in 2006. Back then she was pregnant so it'll be interesting to see if she's pregnant again this season when she returns in the spring.

The highlight of the morning trip was when Bungee and her calf surfaced very close to the boat along with Apex 06 Calf. Usually adult whales don't really like the company of younger whales so it was interesting to see a 2 year old whale with an adult and her new calf. They were only together for a few minutes before they all went on a deeper dive together. When they resurfaced they had split up. Kind of makes me wonder what happened when they went under to split them up!

The afternoon trip was another great one as we were treated to a couple of very familiar sightings. An adult male named Flask and an adult female named Owl along with her calf. These two are on my list of favorites so it's always nice to see that thety're doing ok for themselves. I also got to see another adult male named Upsilon for the first time. My only ID (tail shot) of Upsilon was right after he decided to 'relieve" himself. The discolored water is actually whale poop!

July 5, 2008 - The Humpbacks are still dominating the area!
What an amazing day it was today! Our sightings started early with a mother and calf pair of Fin Whales and apparently the calf was feeling a little frisky as it lunged out of the water. I didn't get to see it personally, but I'm sure it was a very impressive sight considering that even the calves are still huge! We stayed with this pair for a while before heading into an area where there were several Humpbacks who were very busy feeding. 

Among the identified whales in the area were #0803, Apex 06 Calf, Lacey 07 Calf, and Solas. The whales were doing a lot of feeding, but were still spending a lot of time at the surface which allowed us to get some great looks. We even had one whale swim right under the bow giving an up close and personal look before it went down for some more food.

The morning trip was good enough, but it was the afternoon trip that made the day! We started with a nice Fin Whale who was spending quite a bit of time at the surface allowing us to get some great looks. From there we found a large adult Humpback named Solas who decided to get a closer look at us. She (or he) circled the boat a few times and swam right under us. At one point she even blew bubbles under the boat which was really cool. After some really amazing looks Solas decided to go on and do some more feeding. 

Shortly after Solas left us we found Lacey's 2007 Calf who also approached us to check us out almost like Solas had just done. Lacey's 2007 calf is just over a year old so it's still "small" compared to the adults we see, but even at just a year old these whales are huge! It was pretty incredible to be so close!

July 4, 2008 - Clamp and her calf with Flask!
Today turned out to be another great day on the water. The weather didn't look very promising at first, but it turned into a beautiful day with a lot of whale activity. In the morning we got to see some newer whales including #0803, Apex 06 Calf, and Rapier 07 Calf along with a couple of our old regular Humpbacks in the form an adult female named Clamp who was accompanied by her brand new calf which was very exciting to see! The calf was actually very curious about us and made several circles around us to check us out before speeding up to go find mom. 

Shortly after we found Clamp and calf we headed over to another large adult and it actually turned out to be a well known adult male named Flask. We got several excellent looks at him before we had to head for home. This was my first time seeing Flask this season which was a very nice way to end the trip!

The afternoon trip was very productive with a lot more whales in the area. Included were at least 7 Minke Whales, at least 4 Fin Whales,  and at least 12 Humpback Whales. Of the identified Humpbacks we had #0803, #0810 (who was open mouth feeding), Rapier 07 Calf, & Solas. It's still hard to believe we're having the season that we're having. It's completely crazy to see the whales in such high numbers. It's certainly a very nice problem to have though!

June 27, 2008 - Watching whales in the thunder and lightning!
Today was a pretty weird day out on the ocean. It was beautiful weather wise and the sea conditions were great, but it was a little foggy / hazy and in the afternoon we found ourselves in a thunderstorm and we went through some downpours on the way back to the harbor.

Now on to the whale sightings. We started the morning trip in an area where there were about 4 or 5 Humpback Whales. All of them were concentrating on feeding. Not taking long dives at all or traveling very far. This made watching them very easy. One of them actually approached the boat and swam along side the right side giving us an excellent up close look. I was able to get this on video and will post the clip shortly.

While we were watching the Humpback Whales a couple of large Fin Whales also made their way into the area so we headed over to check them out. These whales were enormous to say the least! They were easily as long as the boat and most likely even longer. They had to have been two of the largest Fin Whales I had ever seen. Our last look at them was great as they both dove down side by side.

The afternoon trip started with a single Fin Whale who was traveling very slowly just below the surface. This whale was most likely taking a break from feeding as it was keeping a very low profile. We were able to get some great looks before heading over to an area where there were several more whales, Fin and Humpback. One of the Humpbacks was identified as Rune's 2007 Calf who was recently named Komodo. This whale has been in the area off and on for several weeks so it was nice to see it once again.

While we were watching these Humpbacks, lightning could be seen in the distance and cracks of thunder could be heard off in the distance. Within a few minutes a little bit of rain was starting to fall so I put my camera away and just enjoyed the sights and sounds of whale watching. Being out on the ocean watching whales is an amazing experience in itself, but when the sound of thunder and the sight of lightning is thrown in the mix it adds a completely different feeling to it. I've always loved the ocean and listening to thunder so it was a really unique experience for me. Although, I was disappointed to see that I didn't have very many photographs to remember the trips by.

The weather has been pretty rough over the past couple of weeks which has caused some trip cancellations (both Sat and Sun of this weekend were canceled). Hopefully, the wild weather will change for the better soon!

June 21, 2008 - Watching whales in the fog followed by flipper slapping in the sun!
Today started out looking very promising with bright blue skies and a very small breeze. It was a little hazy, but nothing that would've hurt out chances of finding whales as we still had decent visibility. Unfortunately, the conditions offshore were much different!  As we traveled further offshore a fog bank could be seen at the horizon. Eventually, we ended up going right into it. At first it wasn't very thick and we still had decent visibility, but the further we went into it the worst it got. Our visibility literally went great to extremely poor in the matter of minutes.

When the fog is this thick you're really at the whale's mercy. When you're lucky enough to find one in these conditions you just hope that they'll stay close enough to get some good looks in. Luckily for us, we were able to find one who did just that. This whale was a juvenile Humpback Whale that we were able to get some really nice looks at including a very nice tailbreach. We also got a quick glimpse of a Basking Shark in the same area. It's pretty rare to see any whale alongside a Basking Shark so this was an extra special treat for us and a great way to end the trip.

Our trip back to the harbor was full of fog until we were about 4 or 5 miles from shore. We hit a tiny clearing, but it didn't last long at all. Back at the harbor it was very foggy, but our hopes were high that the afternoon would be better weather wise. Lucky for us, it was a lot better! Shortly after leaving the harbor we hit a clearing and it remained this way throughout the rest of the day.

Our whale sightings in the afternoon started out on a great note with a mother and calf pair of Fin Whales. Although it was a great way to start the trip, this pair was taking longer dives and they were traveling while underwater. This made it difficult for us to get close to them, but we were able to get some great looks before heading off in search of more whales.

Our next sighting was a Humpback Whale named Sonogram. This whale has been a regular sighting for the Granite State for a week or so, but I had never seen this whale before so it was nice for me personally to see a new whale. Sonogram was spending quite a bit of time under the water feeding, but when he (or she) resurfaced it was for several breaths at a time allowing us to get some excellent looks. We stayed with this whale for a little while before heading further offshore to see if there were any other whales for us to look at.

That's when we found 3 other Humpbacks, all of which remain unidentified. Two of the whales continued traveling in opposite directions, but one of them stuck around allowing us to spend some quality time with it. While we were watching it, it began flipper slapping, but instead of hitting the water it kept hitting itself. This whale was most likely doing this to help with digestion because after hitting itself a few times a patch of processed krill (AKA whale poop) appeared right behind it. This was immediately followed by the whale raising it's flukes to go on a deeper dive.

We stayed with this whale for quite a while before we had to head back to the harbor. Along the way three more Humpbacks were spotted in the distance as they began to move into the area. Unfortunately, we were running late to begin with so we couldn't head over to check them out, but seeing them was a good sign that there's still plenty of food out there so hopefully they'll still be in the area for some time.

June 14, 2008 - So many new flukes!
Today's trip was a big success, but it was also a bit chaotic to say the least. We started out with a single Fin Whale who only made one quick appearance. We had gotten into the area just in time to see it arch it's back and go on a deeper dive. We waited for about 10 to 15 minutes for it to resurface, but unfortunately for us it never did. At that point the decision was made to head further offshore to see what else we'd be able to find. 

After a little time had passed we found our next whale. This was a Humpback Whale named Solas. This whale was taking relatively short dives and staying at the surface for several breaths before going on a deeper dive which allowed us plenty of time to get some excellent looks. We spent several minutes watching Solas before heading off to explore some more. There were several more blows seen in the distance so we wanted to see all that we possible could.

This is where the chaos began! We ended up in an area with about 7 or 8 Humpback Whales. One of which breached several times in the distance, but due to the high number of whales around us we couldn't go over to see it up close. Even from a distance the huge splash was a very impressive sight!

Having so many whales in the same area like today is pretty rare and obviously very exciting, but at the same time it's a bit overwhelming when you're trying to keep track of who's who and to get photographs to ID each of them. None of the whales were really traveling very far, they were just being very sporadic in their travel patterns. At one point one whale would dive close to the boat and then it would resurface further away only to resurface feet from the boat again several minutes later. It was very difficult to keep track of which whale was doing what and where it was. Of the successfully ID'd whales, we had Solas, Rune's 07 Calf, and Rapier's 07 Calf. 

If you've been thinking of going on a whale watch some time soon, now's the time to go! There's no telling how long this 'craziness' will continue! :)

June 7, 2008 - Slow start in the fog, but we finished strong!
All week the forecast for today was for bright and sunny skies with highs in the upper 80s to lower 90s. Needless to say, this made me that much more anxious to get back out there! Unfortunately, being in New England things didn't turn out quite as nice. We ended up having to fight some thick fog for most of the morning, but as the day went on the fog started to lift until we eventually hit a nice clearing with several whales.

Our first sighting (in the thick fog) was my first Fin Whale sighting of the 2008 season. Our first look at this very large adult was an incredible one as it swam in towards us and passed along side the left side of the boat. Everytime I see these animals it amazes me that an animal so large can be so graceful. They hardly make a splash as they swim along. If it weren't for the fog this whale would've been great to watch. It was taking relatively short dives and spending quite a bit of time at the surface, but the thick fog made it difficult to get good looks at it. After a few looks we headed off to see what else we'd be able to find.

While we were looking for more whales a cluster of deflated balloons was spotted so we stopped to take it out of the water before a whale or another sea animal got hurt. While the crew was in the process of getting the balloons a second whale was discovered. This whale was a yet to be identified juvenile Humpback Whale who was doing a lot of feeding beneath the surface. We stayed with this whale for a few really nice looks before heading off once again to see what else we could find. By now the fog was really starting to clear.

Within a few minutes we had found several more whales in the same area. There were at least 2 individual adult Humpback Whales and a pair traveling together along with at least 1 individual Fin Whale. The first Humpback that we spent some time with made some really close passes by the boat allowing us to get some excellent looks. This whale remains unidentified, but it was a very large whale so we do know that it was an adult. A whale named Freefall was identified as one of the pair that were traveling together. The second whale remains unidentified, but is most likely a juvenile. We never got close enough to the other Humpback in the area so it's identity is also a mystery.

On the way back to the harbor we stopped for a quick look at another pair of Fin Whales. They were in the same area, but were traveling seperately. It was a great way to end our trip. It started out on a pretty sour note with the thick fog, but luckily we got a break and were able to find some very nice whales to watch.

Humpback Whales are my personal favorite so having the season start the way that it has is more than I ever expected and could ever have asked for. I've been whale watching since 2001 and have never seen so many Humpbacks this early in the season. To have the opportunity to see these animals in person, especially when they're so close to the boat is truly an amazing experience. I'm absolutely loving it! 

May 25, 2008 - Owl returns with a new calf who spent several minutes circling the boat!
Opening weekend got off to a great start yesterday with several different Minke Whales and at least 5 Humpbacks. I really didn't know what to expect today. I was still kind of shocked with how well things went yesterday. It was a great sign, but I didn't want to expect to much because I've seen crazy activity one day followed by little to now whale activity the next. I was just hoping the whales were still out there and that we'd be to find them.

Knowing where the whales were yesterday we headed out in that direction. Along the way we passed by a few Harbor Seals, a Gray Seal, Harbor Porpoise, and some Minke Whales. Once we got far enough off shore we did stop to get a few looks at a Minke Whale. Minkes are not individually identified because they're are so many and they're not endangered, but this one has some very unique scarring on it's back just before it's dorsal fin. This scarring has earned this whale the nickname of 'Scar Minke'. This whale had certainly been through quite an ordeal, but thankfully it appeared to be doing very well for itself which was nice to see. We stayed for a couple of nice looks and then we headed off again to see if we could find some more activity.

Shortly after we left 'Scar Minke' we found a single Humpback who was busy feeding. Taking very short dives, but still not spending much time at the surface. While we were watching this whale it became very clear to everyone that this was definitely a hot spot with a LOT of food available! Whales were surfacing and spouting everywhere! It turned out there were at least 9 Humpback Whales in the area! Most of these whales are new to the area, but one of them was a very well known female named Owl. Seeing Owl so early in the season was a very nice and welcomed surprise! In the wild these whales face numerous threats so it's always nice to see that they're doing ok, especially after migrating all the way down to the Dominican Republic and back! The other positively identified whales included Apex 06 Calf, Canine, Freefall, Rouge, and Spinnaker.

While it was very exciting to have the opportunity to watch all of these whales, the most exciting part of the trip came when one of the younger whales decided to get a nice look at US!  For almost an hour we were forced to sit with the engines shut down because this whale kept circling us and swimming under us. The sun was hitting the water just right so we could see the entire whale's body below the surface. At one point it even blew some bubbles while it was still beneath the surface which caused a large splash right beside the boat. This whale never raised it's tail so we don't know for sure who it was, but it was definitely very curious as to who we were.

It's kind of funny to me that some of the people that I've talked to in the past probably wouldn't consider this trip to be a success just because none of the whales breached, but I personally would take a trip like this over seeing a whale breach any day. Granted seeing whales breach is definitely exciting and I would love to be able to see it more often, but to have an intimate one on one encounter like this with a whale is so much more special! It was an amazing experience that I don't think any of us will forget anytime soon!

May 24, 2008 - First trip of the new season brings new Humpback Whales!
Today was opening day for the Granite State's 2008 whale watch season. Everyone was very excited to get back out there considering how beautiful it was! We had warm weather and flat calm seas. Considering the weather over the past few seasons (cold, rainy, foggy, etc.) this was a very nice way to kick of the season. We just needed to find some whales to make it a perfect day and luckily we were able to do just that!

We started in an area where there were at least 6 Minke Whales who were very busy feeding below the surface. Minke Whales aren't known for being very cooperative with whale watching boats. I can't say that I blame them since they're still be hunted by whaling countries - Norway, Japan, and Iceland, but if you're patient enough you're almost always able to get some really nice looks at them which were able to do before heading off in search of more whales.

After traveling for some time we hit a hot spot where there were several larger whales busy feeding. We started with a single whale and before we knew it a pair had surfaced followed by a couple more individuals - all Humpbacks! Eventually one of the individual whales joined the pair of whales to form a trio. They were all spending quite a bit of time at the surface which allowed us to get some excellent looks. None of them are regulars to our area so not all of them have been identified yet. The only ones to be positively ID'd so far are Freefall (just named this spring) and Apex 06 Calf (soon to be named). 

The highlight of the day was probably when the pair slowly swam in a large circle off the port side of the boat and eventually drifted up towards the bow before raising their flukes to go on a dive. It's always an amazing experience to be so close to these massive animals! While I enjoy watching all of the whales that we get to see out here, Humpbacks are by far my personal favorite species. Having the chance to see FIVE of them on opening day was far beyond my expectations, but it was a very welcomed surprise!