Sun July 23 – Whale Watching
Dolphins, humpback whale, sharks, and more!
Sunday’s trip began with a bang! A gray seal rolled acrobatically in the water alongside our vessel as we sailed out of port. Then, only five minutes from the lighthouse, a breach was spotted by one of our sharp-eyed volunteers. We quickly turned course to find a juvenile humpback whale repeatedly breaching and pec-slapping (slapping its long, pectoral flippers on the surface of the water). We enjoyed views of the young whale, which began taking shallow (non-fluking) dives before diving deep enough to expose its tail flukes out of the water, an important tool used to identify the individual. From there, we moved offshore in search of the larger individuals encountered on our last trip. Unfortunately, the whales had moved on from that spot so we continued searching, stumbling upon two sharks (of unknown species), and eventually spotting a small pod of inshore bottlenose dolphins. Some of the dolphins were leaping out of the water and appeared to be feeding, spending time under the water in a tight group. We steamed home, enjoying beautiful views of the cliffs, diving terns and warm, summer breezes.
Our trips remain 100% successful in finding cetaceans this season. Join us on our next trip!
1 Atlantic gray seal
1 humpback whale
16-20 inshore bottlenose dolphins
40-50 Great shearwaters
8-10 Cory’s shearwaters
2 sharks (species unknown)
Photos at https://drartiek-cresli.
