Whale Watching

I have been going out on whale watches for at least the past 30 years. And I still get a thrill seeing the whales. Most of my whale watching has been out to the Stellwagon National Marine Sanctuary, but I have whale watched on a 27 foot zodiac in Newfoundland and off the boats and the Pacific. As you people who have read my blog, know that I went this past January on a 12 day trip from San Diego down into the Baja following the whales. There in the Baja I had my closest encounter with whales, having the ability to pat a gray whale in Laguna San Ignacio.
I have taken my boys out on will watches and I have taken also some of my grandchildren. My son and grandson are in visiting from England and I just took them out for a whale watch. This was the first time that my grandson had a chance to see the whales.

We took the trip out of Plymouth Massachusetts on the Captain John Boat.
 
 
 
 
 
Prior to leaving,, we walked around the harbor and looked at the common terns and laughing gulls in the area.

Even a Starling posed for its picture.
The day was somewhat cool, it started out sunny and the further we got out into Cape Cod Bay it became cloudy and the seas somewhat rougher. We passed between Plymouth Long Beach and Gurnet Light on Duxbury Beach.
For the first 2 1/2 hours any sightings were very minimal. There were a few gulls and nothing else. We came across another whale watching boat who was observing a fin whale and we were also able to see the fin whale.
It was getting late in the trip, and suddenly activity occurred, it was a breaching humpback whale. A mother and calf humpback whale were in the vicinity and we were treated to observing the whales diving and breaching. Every one on the trip was excited, even me although I have seen this many times in the past. It is always a treat.

If you have never gone on a whale watch, you should at least try to go on one. You do have to remember that whales are wild creatures and you never know what you will see or what activities they would be doing.
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