Thar She Blows

One awesome about being in Ocean club is that we take fun trips every year. Last year we went to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut and this year we went whale watching of the coast of Massachusetts. So much fun!!!! The day dawned a beautiful sunny and clear day (turned overcast later in the day). We took off from campus and traveled down to Gloucester, MA. We made it to the whale watching place safely, but with a few minor detours. :D

This was our boat!

Shortly after arriving we boarded and made our way to the top deck where I proceeded to take random pictures of the harbor. Gloucester is one of the oldest and largest fishing towns, so the harbor was filled with lots of different types of fishing boats...

After sitting for a little while and listening to a little intro from the naturalist aboard we were on our way...

Coast Guard to the rescue!!!

Lighthouse on Ten Pound Island

One of two castles of Gloucester.

The breakwater

The other castle

Then we were out of the Harbor and on our way to Stellwagon Marine Sanctuary. It is a very good place to find whales and other creatures because the fish are abundant, which makes it the perfect feeding ground. For an hour and half to two hours we journeyed the Atlantic ocean without spotting any whales. Despite that fact, it was still fun just feeling the wind on my face and seeing water all around me. And then....we arrived at the south end of the marine sanctuary. It was then we finally spotted the whales. There was 10-12 humpback whales and 3 minke whales feeding. It was so awesome seeing these magnificent creatures that God created.

There was even a mom, calf pair there. Some of the whales kept swimming under the boat and one humpback was really curious and kept surfacing next to the boat. We were even sprayed once with the water from the whales blowhole. lol. We spent over an hour watching these guys feed. One very awesome thing about the humpbacks is that they blow bubbles and create a ring of bubbles that capture fish and then feed in that circle. Another cool thing is that their side fins are white, but in the water they glow a greenish color. So when looking in the water, you can see these green glowing things moving through the water. :D

The start of feeding frenzy!

Look, it's waving HI!

If you look closely you can see the baleen.

The mom and calf pair. Abrasion is the calf's name.

The glowing green. :D

A blowhole.

Thar she blows!!!!!

This here is Wizard. The all white fluke it very rare in humpbacks.

Part of a ring of bubbles

Those are all pictures of the humpback whales. The minke ones weren't as close and are more shy. On the way back to shore we did see a couple more of humpbacks. Then we hit very thick fog. At one point it looked like we were in heaven because the sun was shining though the fog making it all very bright and awesome.  Once we reached the harbor, there was no more fog and the sun was shining with bright blue skies. Then looking back towards the ocean, it was all completely covered in fog. So cool!!!Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures. Overall, I spent between 5 & 6 hours on the boat. :D

"That's All Folks!"