There She Blows! Lets Go Whale Watching

While I am not a huge fan of Moby Dick, I do enjoy going looking for whales.  There is something so majestic about these huge mammals, whose natural environment is the water - a space others cannot survive in because we can't hold our breaths long enough.  If you want to go whale watching - and like most things I post about, I think you should - there are plenty of tour operators in the area.  However, because of proximity, I go on the tour connected with the New England Aquarium.

The tour lasts about 3 hours (an hour out, an hour at your location, and an hour back) and like most tour operators, they guarantee you will see a whales or you will get a pass for another trip.  The boat takes you out to Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary - the whale use the area as a feeding ground.  And not only do you get to see whales but there is a naturalist on board that can tell you what type of whales you are seeing, who they are (there are a couple who have been named and are regular visitors) and a bit about their behavior.

I have gone whale watching three times, and each time have seen something new.  The first time out was probably the best - proving that these are wild animals who don't always behave in entertaining or picturesque ways - I got to see several tail flukes, breathing spouts, the whale's head and even a reverse breach by a calf.  However, each time I have gotten some great photos and when my parents joined me, my dad got some decent pictures.

Besides being connected with the New England Aquarium (in name only, it is not run by the aquarium), if you have taken a trip to the Harbor Islands - hold on to your ticket because you can get a discount on your whale watching trip.  When you go whale watching be prepared - it gets windy on the boat and if you get seasick stay on the first level - you don't feel the waves as much.  Every time I have gone I tend to camp out on one sides - the front is windy and fills up quickly and you can normally get a good view of whales on the sides.

One piece of advice - be on the look out for whales or dolphins as you go and return - twice when leaving the feeding grounds I have seen additional animals - a mother and her calf and a pod of white-sided dolphins.  So go, have fun and please feel free to add any pictures you might get to the Tourist Slide Show.