June 19th, 2011

After a day of rain and thick fog kept us from going out on the 18th, it was nice to see the weather improved for today's trip. It was a sunny, hot, and busy day in Bar Harbor! We had folks from two cruise ships aboard our larger whale watch vessel, the AtlanticCat.

Though we had a bit of a bumpy ride offshore, it was well worth it because we saw numerous whales on this trip! A passenger helped spot the first spout which then lead to a couple of more. We had a few finback whales spread out in different directions around the boat. One of which surfaced near the boat a few times, allowing for great looks!

Finback whale coming to the surface

This one individual was easy to recognize due to the shape of its dorsal fin and the scaring along its tail stock. Marianna, one of Allied Whale's research assistants, was photographing the whale. It seems that this whale had be entangled at some point. This is why it is important to photograph this species. The photographs allow researchers to better understand how humans are still affecting whales. Even though they are a protected species, they still do die as a result of human activity whether be boat strike or severe entanglement.

Marianna, one of Allied Whale's summer research assistants, collecting data

Finback whale

Before we knew it, our time had run short and we had to start our way back to Bar Harbor. Along the way, we spotted a few other finbacks! There was certainly a great deal of activity offshore today!


To view more photos from today's trip, become a fan of the Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company page on Facebook!

Photos: Walter Churchill