Mon July 15 – Whale Watching Trip

Hungry, Hungry Humpbacks!
What an amazing day whale watching aboard the Viking Star! We left the heat of land in favor
of cool, ocean breezes traveling approximately ten miles south to an area of reported whale activity.
Two blows were spotted, belonging to a pair of humpback whales which turned out to be our first
mother and calf pair of the 2024 season! The calf stuck close to the mom, often rising up next to her in a
playful fashion, alternating between her left and right sides. We stayed with the pair for a while, but
there were many other whales in the area. Soon, patches of sea all around us glowed green as bubbles
rose up just ahead of gaping mouths belonging to feeding humpbacks at the surface. There were at least
8-12 individuals, each using bubble clouds to corral and engulf sand eels as they rose out of the water
with enormous open mouths. Many of the individuals arched their backs to strain the water and
swallow their prey, a unique behavior known as ‘snaking’ (although I prefer the term ‘whale yoga’ as
one passenger suggested). Our observations of this massive feeding event went on for over two hours.
At least one minke whale was also documented and a small pod of short-beaked common dolphins was
seen surfing the wake ahead of a surfacing humpback. We picked up a couple of mylar balloons before
heading back to the dock, humbled by what we had seen. Who knows what we will see next? Join us to
find out!

8-12 humpback whales
1-3 minke whales (multiple sightings of possibly one individual)
20-40 short-beaked common dolphins
100-200 Wilson’s storm petrels
120-180 Cory’s shearwaters
60-80 Great shearwaters
15-25 Sooty shearwaters