Tuesday, August 5, 2014

My first whale watch was fun, but interesting the boat ride was long and on the way I found out what it was like to get sea sick.  I noticed that the water got greener the further we got out  to sea or out side Boston harbor, into the Mass bay. The young ladies aboard the boat explained the water was green  because of the algae in the water.  The young ladies said the we would be stopping where the whale usually feed around this time of the year. She went on explaining what kind of whales are usually spotted in and around this area. Humpback, Finback, Minke and Pilot whales she explained about the sex of the whales,that their was no way to identify the sex of the whales, just that if they see a baby, it was a sure thing that there was a female around since they care for the babies.
The whales we saw Friday where both males, one was called Northstar and Hippocampus.


photo courtesy credit CPE
And they where both humpback whales. She explained that humpback whales are baleen, which mean they fitter their food through baleen plates. Whales eat crustaceans, like krill, anchovies, mackerel.The larger humpback whale had a huge scare on it's back, I believe she said it was from a boating accident that was healing well. I found out that we could spot where a whales was by looking for a cloud of mist coming from the water,being blown from the hole in the whales head, which is called the blowhole. I asked the tour guide when she came around asking if we had any questioning, what where the white spots on the whales skin and tail she told me they where barnacles. Which I thought only grew on clams, rocks,and other things that didn't move fast. I got too see and hold a whale vertebrae abroad  on the trip also. Overall the experience was life changing, I felt again I had learn something new and was glad to share my experience with my family.
photo courtesy credit CPE

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