We hope to show you exactly that by bringing you some snapshots and highlights from our whale watch trips! 📷
So far, this season has demonstrated precisely how volatile and unpredictable nature can be. Some days brought us very far from home in search of whales—nearly 30 miles and over 2 and a half hours to find them, in some cases—while others have had us practically tripping over whales hardly a mile or two from the harbor.
As always, humpback whales have been the most consistent and prevalent species, but we’ve also been treated to sightings of fin whales (including rarely seen mother-calf pairs!), minke whales, sei whales, Atlantic white-sided dolphins, harbor porpoises, and other marine wildlife!
Even as the patterns of the whales have better settled for the summer, nature still keeps us guessing. Recently, whale watch boats traversing Jeffrey’s Ledge (a prime whale watching spot, north of Gloucester) have been treated to repeated sightings of a rare guest: the great white shark! Though sharks as a whole aren’t an unusual sighting, and despite great whites being well documented in the southern waters of Massachusetts, for just one great white to appear in these northerly waters is a momentously rare occasion. Here’s the kicker, though: it hasn’t just been one. SEVERAL great white sharks have been seen in this highly unusual spot!
How about recent trips? Recently, it was Clamp who stole the show with what must have been over a dozen breaches! Breaching is an exciting behavior, but it’s actually quite uncommon to witness, so passengers were treated to a rare sight as this multi-ton giant launched herself from the water over and over again.
Even in the lulls between these great leaps, Clamp did not disappoint—she took to slapping her flippers against the surface and repeatedly throwing her flukes from the water in an act known as lobtailing. It was if she wanted to demonstrate nearly every surface behavior in the book, all in one trip!
You never know what you’ll see on a whale watch—each trip brings something new, from surprise breaches to curious calves. That unpredictability is what makes every adventure so thrilling—and why we keep coming back for more! We hope you will visit The Whalemobile team at either 7 Seas Whale Watch or Newburyport Whale Watch.
