June 24, 2012 Whale Watches

9 am and 2 pm Whale Watches - Krill

Boomerang and calf.

9 am trip:


Here is a video of Boomerang and her calf of this year that was taken during this trip. What a cute calf!

Boomerang and calf. 

A great morning offshore. We started with Boomerang and her calf who were hanging out on the mid part of Stellwagen Bank. Mom's tend to spend a good deal of time on Stellwagen which may offer greater protection to the calf from predators like sharks and killer whales. Mom appeared to be feeding deep and the calf was patiently waiting for her to finish so the calf could nurse. When mom and calf reunited, the calf was spunky as it charged around next to mom's side.

Scylla diving down.

Scylla's hooked dorsal fin.

Scylla and calf traveling together. 

Our second sighting was another mother and calf pair who turned out to be Scylla and calf. This calf was quite some distance from mom who like Boomerang, appeared to also be feeding deep. The calf finally hooked back up with mom which made all of us feel better. Calves are totally dependent on their mom's this time of the season. So we feel better when they stay close to their mom's.

Andrew and Michael picking up a balloon.

At the end of our trip we picked up Orbit, a female humpback whale who has been feeding on her own for quite some time now.

As we headed back across the bank towards Plymouth, Capt. Tommy and crew members Andrew and Michael did their good deed for the day. They stopped to pick up a balloon that was floating at the water's surface. Balloons are one of the most hazardous types of marine debris in our waters. They look like jellyfish which is eaten by many marine animals offshore including sea turtles and ocean sunfish. And they can easily be ingested by a large whale lunge feeding through the water column. Thanks so much guys for caring enough to stop and pick up this balloon.  We love you!

2 pm trip:

Tulip's calf off the port side. 

On the afternoon trip, we saw Tulip and her calf of this season. Tulip is an adult humpback whale that was first seen in 1988.  She has had many calves over the years and has been an excellent mother to all. However, this season, Tulip is not in good health. She is very thin and not as active as usual. We are very worried about her health and the fate of her young calf. Tulip's calf is very dependent upon mom for much of its nutrition its first year of life. If anything happens to Tulip, I doubt the calf would survive at such a young age. So please say prayers and send healing thoughts to Tulip and her calf.

Tulip's calf coming over to our boat. 

Tulip's calf.

Tulip's calf came over to our boat and gave us a close approach. This is also a beautiful little animal and we wish it the best. Here is a short video clip of Tulip and her calf seen on this trip.



After leaving Tulip and calf, we picked up another mother and calf pair that turned out to be Boomerang and calf. Both mom and calf jumped out of the water a few times as we approached at a distance. It was amazing to see these aerial displays and to really get a feel for how large both Boomerang and calf truly are. The calf continued to be active, but mom settled back down soon after our arrival. A big thank you to Michael Cahill, NECWA intern, for collecting these distant shots of both mom and calf breaching. Wow!

Distant look at Boomerang doing a pull breach.

Distant look at Boomerang's calf doing a spinning head breach.

We also had a few finback whales who were living up to their reputation of being a difficult whale to get a look at. And some of our passengers got a quick glimpse of a minke whale, smallest of all the baleen whales in our waters.

Great day offshore. Hope you can join us soon!