New England #6: New England Aquarium and Whale Watch

It was that time again! Our last day in Boston was reserved for our second Whale watch. 

Old Customs House clock

But, first, we visited the New England Aquarium, which benefits from an excellent location on Boston Harbor.

Photo: Betty Stevens

Opened in 1969, the New England Aquarium is both a traditional tourist-attraction aquarium and a world leader in ocean exploration and marine conservation. 

We had bought a combo package that included the whale watch, operated by the Aquarium in cooperation with Boston Harbor Cruises, and entrance to the Aquarium, which features thousands of sea animals, including Penguins, fish, Sharks, Seals, Sea Lions, Sea Stars and beautiful Jellies.

Moon Jellies

We got there early before it got too crowded, but it very quickly filled up with tourists and large groups of children.

Kids at the aquarium

I was pleased to discover that they have somehow managed to deal with what used to be a very nasty smell when you first entered the Aquarium (thanks to the penguins). Now, it's not so bad.

Photo: Betty Stevens

We were pleased to discover that the Aquarium's IMAX theater was showing a film on humpback whales. I can't think of a better way to prepare for a Whale watch. It was a very good film with the best description of bubble net feeding I have ever seen.

Then, after a scallop lunch at Legal Seafoods across the street, we headed back to the harbor for our second whale watch.

Photo: Betty Stevens

It was a big boat and very crowded (I must admit, I preferred the P-Town boat).

Photo: Betty Stevens

The trip out gave us a nice view of Boston's Harbor islands ...

Pretty Houses

... and the Boston Light ...

Lighthouse

But, then, we cruised for a very long time. I sensed Whales were tough to come by that day; I had overheard someone getting off the previous boat say they had seen only four. After our great P-Town trip, I was afraid our luck had run out. 

We were heading back to Stellwagen Bank, which, as I explained in my P-Town blog, is much closer to P-Town. Interestingly, we ended up seeing whales closer to P-Town than our Whale watch there did.

And, we did find some.

Whale

We saw a few at close range that were deep diving. So, they were up for just a minute and then down for five. 

Fluke

We watched for awhile and then moved on. We knew something was up when we say big splashes off in the distance.

Distant breach

It was a male and female who put on quite a show -- tail lobbing and fin slapping ...

Showing off

... rolling over ...

A nice view

... diving ...

A nice dive

... and breaching ...

Breach

Breaching at close range was on Betty's wish list and these guys did not disappoint.

Rolling over

I witnessed several double breaches, but didn't get a picture. You can see it on the video at the end of this blog post. In my P-town blog, I provided lots of information on Humpbacks. Here's some more.

A breaching whale

Both male and female Humpback whales vocalize, but only males produce the long, loud, complex "songs" for which the species is famous. Whales within a large area sing the same song. All North Atlantic Humpbacks sing the same song, and those of the North Pacific sing a different song. Each population's song changes slowly over a period of years without repeating.

Two Whales

Humpback Whales are famous for their aerobic behavior, including breaching. Scientists have a number of hypotheses on why they breach, but no one knows for sure. They may be trying to shake parasites off of their skin. 

Twisting

They may be communicating with each other (Humpback Whales may breach more frequently in rough seas, when their songs will be harder for other Whales to hear). They may breach to have a look around at what is going on above the water (if, for example, they hear something like boat but can't see it) or to help with navigation.

Splash!

The breach may be the end of some complicated underwater behavior that we can't see from the surface. And of course it may just be fun...

What a treat!

Like other large Whales, the Humpback was and is a target for the whaling industry. Once hunted to the brink of extinction, its population fell by an estimated 90 percent before a moratorium was introduced in 1966. While the Whales have since partially recovered, entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships and noise pollution continue to affect the 80,000 Humpbacks worldwide.

Splash

Humpback’s black and white fluke (tail fin) have unique patterns, which make individual whales identifiable. 

Fin

Humpback Whale lifespan ranges from 45 to 100 years. Females are slightly larger than males.

Backstroke

The humpback social structure is loose-knit. Typically, individuals live alone or in small, transient groups that disband after a few hours. Groups may stay together a little longer in summer to forage and feed cooperatively.

Bye!

Although we didn't see a lot of whales, we did see some spectacular behavior, capping off a great trip. And, on the way back, we had a great, final view of Boston.

Boston

And, here's a video combining both the P-Town and Boston whale watches.

Thanks, Betty, for a fun trip.

Betty

Trip date: July 12-25, 2015