This post was written by Terry:
Today we set sail from Stellwagen Bank (a natural marine life sanctuary) to Gloucester. On our course through these protected waters we saw quite a few Minke whales, which are some of the smallest whales on earth. Then, as we progressed North we started to see some Humpback whales swimming off in the distance. After a quick lunch, we continued our whale-watching. We found a mother Humpback whale teaching her calf how to bubble-feed (a feeding technique in which one or more whales exhale to form a "bubble net," which traps fish inside as it rises to the surface and then allows the whales to feed on the fish caught inside). It was an extraordinary sight! As we continued to watch them, one swam righ under the bow of the boat! Everyone was speechless. We continued our trip just praying to see a whale breach. Finally, we glimpsed another whale in the distance and began tracking it. We could see it slapping its pectoral fin as well as its tail on top of the water very consistently. This alone was an amazing sight. After a few minutes, he fluked (dived into the water so that his tail came completely out of the water). We were heartbroken at first because this usually means that the whale is going on a deep dive. However, a few minutes later, he breached!!! The deck fell silent in awe. Would you believe that the whale did 23 pronounced tail slaps and 47 breaches?! That was a once in a lifetime opportunity that you don't see on a regular whale watching boat. After the whale finally swam out of sight, we headed to dock at Gloucester where we would relish our final hours together and reflect on both an amazing day and an amazing trip.
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