Good Afternoon Cousteau Coalition,

Today we joined Captain Chip as he guided us out to the Southwest Corner of Stellwagen Bank on our 11am adventure.  Before even reaching the bank we approached two humpback whales while they floated in a cetacean slumber.  Passengers were euphoric to discover these to be Cardhu and her 2015 calf!  We appreciated a rare close look at a humpback whale calf during its first and only season of dependence on its mother.  Chip emphasized the significance of our find, stating that “we are lucky enough to find these animals in the middle a huge ocean”! 

Cardhu's 2015 Calf trails behind mother.  Rich Dolan, BHC naturalist

Cardhu 2015 Calf rolling off starboard.  Rich Dolan, BHC naturalist

Spot the whale on the left flipper?  Rich Dolan, BHC naturalist

Cardhu 2015 Calf getting close.  Rich Dolan, BHC naturalist

Calf gives some great views.  Rich Dolan, BHC naturalist

Our captain was attuned to the behavior and movement of the whales as they surfaced off our bow and swam under our vessel repeatedly to all sides of the boat.  Everyone was able to view details ranging from tubercles to barnacles!  The calf engaged in flipper slapping within a body length of the Aurora, which was exciting for me as it is a theatrical behavior I hold dear to my heart.  We left these whales as they engaged in dives of 2-4 four minutes with shallow fluking dives.  Before our return to Boston my wife photographed the calf’s fluke pattern as a birthday present to me!

T’was a pleasure to visit the humpbacks of Stellwagen Bank, truly one of my favorite places in the world!

Peace and Love,

Rich, Meaghan, and Chip