Van Citters: Whale Watching

Doug and I celebrated our tenth anniversary in early September. During the weekend, we took the kids out to dinner at Simon Pearce (the restaurant sits above a glassware studio, and all of the restaurant's glassware comes from their studio). We had a seat right above the river, and the kids were very well-behaved.

We also took the family to Rye Harbor, New Hampshire (just south of the Maine border) and went on a whale watch. The last time that Doug and I went on a whale watch was about 13 years ago and we saw a few Fin Whales (the second largest whale - just behind the Blue Whale) and some Minke whales (a little larger than an Orca). I wasn't sure what we'd find this time - but it was really incredible and the kids loved seeing the whales.

The boat held about 40-50 people and traveled about 25 miles offshore toward Jeffrey's Ledge. According to the company's website, "the cold, nutrient-rich waters [at Jeffrey's Ledge] support a large variety of sea life, including zooplankton, krill, sand lance, herring and mackerel, all of which are favorite foods for the whales." On our trip we saw four Humpback Whales (about 40-50 feet long), two Fin Whales (about 70 feet long), and 7-9 Minke Whales (about 20 feet long). And, thanks to a little dopamine, no one got sea sick!

Nicholas

Donovan

Donovan and Nicholas looking for whales.

Donovan, Nicholas, Lily, and Aricca

Aricca and Lily (the dopamine put her to sleep for a while)

Fin whale

Humpback

Three Humpbacks swimming side by side.

Two Humpbacks

I imagine the Lochness Monster could have looked something like these three Humpback whales...

Resting on the top - one of the Humpback whales spent much or her time just sleeping at the surface.

Humpback getting ready for a splash...

The area at Jeffrey's Ledge is heavily used for fishing. The whales do occassionally get tangled in nets and ropes, but fortunately this Humpback missed the buoy line as it dove down.