Cape Ann Whale Watch

05/27/2026

Hello all! This is Captain Nick! Co/Owner of Cape Ann Whale Watch. We want to offer our Siesta Key, on the water property to our customers before it goes on all of the rental sites like Airbnb. We have November, December of this year available and March through early April of next year 2027. Its a 1 bedroom 7th floor Penthouse. Sleeps 4. Call Capt Nick at 508-284-2909 if interested.

Enjoy Siesta Key Florida Condominium Rentals a short walk to the Gulf of Mexico Siesta Key beach with swimming pools and more.

05/27/2026

What an absolutely spectacular day on the ocean today. Once again, we were in the presence of this year's curious calves. At one point, I watched as A-plus's calf swam directly at the boat, did a U-turn, slowly swam alongside and looked up at passengers. To be seen by whales, to be intentionally looked at by this incredibly intelligent animal is the most humbling of experiences. There are no words to describe that interaction or explanation why: Oh, I could speculate but I will leave that to you when you join us aboard the Hurricane II. Give a call today: 1-800-877-5110

**All images were captured using telescopic lens in compliance with Whale Watching guidelines. In addition, Cape Ann Whale Watch contributes its data to the Center for Coastal Studies, who curates the Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale catalog.**

05/26/2026

Another wonderful day at sea! This season has been so special so far, I just can’t believe it. In all my years on the water, every day has been just spectacular! So many whales, so many new calves, so many “close to boat muggings”, it has been unbelievable. We started our trip watching A-plus and her new calf, who were later joined by another 3 humpbacks. We watched as the adults dove to the depths to do some feeding, leaving the calf at the surface to do…well, what calves do. They are curious little critters and come close to our boat to check us out, they practice learning how to use their bodies, and all kinds of fun stuff. Watch as the whales come to the surface next to our boat, go down on a dive and what the calf does while they are away! Some of the individuals we found today were A-plus and calf, Boutonniere, Crinkle, Touchdown and her calf, along with too many gray seals to count and a Lions mane jelly. NH

**All images were captured using telescopic lens and in compliance with Whale Watching Guidelines. In addition, Cape Ann Whale Watch contributes its data to the Center for Coastal Studies, who curates the Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale catalog.**

05/26/2026

The anatomy of a breach brought to you by Bolide's calf!

We began our trip with several of the mom/calf pairs we have been encountering lately. There was a bit of vocalization from Pele; he seems to have lost his patience with the antics of our silly calves. Within moments of his voicing what can only be interpreted as frustration, Bolide and her calf left the association. After 10+ minutes we glanced ahead and both Bolide and her calf were breaching. Not knowing if the surface behavior would last (it takes an enormous amount of precious energy to propel a 30+ ton adult humpback out of the water), we traveled their direction to see what we might witness. For over 45 minutes, we watched as both Bolide and her calf displayed different types of breaches.

I am often asked if the whales are going to 'jump' and I explain that our adults are focused on feeding to bulk up for their long, lean winter months on the breeding grounds. We do see surface behavior more frequently from our calves, as they have mom's rich milk to rely on.

I had over 150 photos to select from...in a few you might notice that we had a considerable swell that the calf seemed to take advantage of and there is a sequence where I was convinced the calf was going to land on mom.

The forecast looks wonderful this week! Give us a call to book your reservation. 1-800-877-5110

**All images were captured using telescopic lens in compliance with Whale Watching guidelines. In addition, Cape Ann Whale Watch contributes its data to the Center for Coastal Studies, who curates the Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale catalog.**

05/24/2026

I feel like we have spent the last few days in the GOM humpback preschool! In one little corner of the bank, we had at least 8-9 adult humpbacks and perhaps 6 calves! Our trips are all research trips; as we collect and share our observational data with the Center for Coastal Studies. What a wonderful, mind-boggling dilemma we have found ourselves in this season! In order to update the database, photo collection and identification of the moms and their calves are crucial to the accuracy of the life history data base.

Photographing this unique association of adults and calves has proven to be a bit challenging. As the adults feed, the calves mingle about, sometimes crisscrossing over the adults and causing a few to trumpet blow out of disapproval. Other times, I think of the Dr. Seuss book, "Are you my mother?" as I witnessed three different calves behaving as if each was with its mom; and yet it was a different adult each time! The teacher in me would simply like them to swim by with mom, provide me an excellent profile shot of the dorsal fins and a dual fluke of mom and calf. Is that too much to ask? 🤣

What this soup of adults and calves is reminding us all is observing and paying attention to details is so important, however, we should never lose sight that we are witnessing a phenomenal event like nothing before.

Some of the whales that we have been in the presence of are:
Jabiru Venom Bolide A+
Pele 3.14 Crinkle Faceoff
Boutonniere Startrail and their calves

If you haven't booked your trip with us yet, pull up your calendar, reach out to a friend or two and give us a call to make a reservation. I have absolutely no idea what you will encounter, but I can promise you this...nature is amazing!

**All images were captured using telescopic lens in compliance with Whale Watching guidelines. In addition, Cape Ann Whale Watch contributes its data to the Center for Coastal Studies, who curates the Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale catalog.**

05/24/2026

My favorite encounter from yesterday’s trips. Watch it on repeat, and tell me it doesn’t give you chills…🥰

05/23/2026

A few still shots of the morning trip today.

05/23/2026

Words can’t even begin to describe the sights we saw on this mornings’ trip. We had two LARGE groups of humpback whales all within a quarter of a mile of each other! Our first association included 3 mother/calf pairs and two adults. Our second association had 2 mother/calf pairs and 3 adults. That’s 15 humpbacks and even more off in the distance!! The calves have been such a delight to watch -they came close to the boat to check us out, and even did a bit of breaching! Among the new Mom’s on todays trip-Jabiru, Venom, Bolide, A-plus and Faceoff. Take a glimpse of what our morning was like. NH

**All images were captured using telescopic lens and in compliance with Whale Watching Guidelines. In addition, Cape Ann Whale Watch contributes its data to the Center for Coastal Studies, who curates the Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale catalog.**

05/22/2026

These last two weeks out on the ocean have been some of the most astonishing 2 weeks I've ever experienced with whales; and I’ve been whale watching since 1994. Over the course of my career I've witnessed so many different behaviors and interactions and I often tell passengers, the longer I'm at sea the more questions I have than answers. Nature humbles me. My encounters have made me recognize how little we understand about the marine world, and that those very concrete beliefs that we’re taught as young scientists are human inferences biased by human perceptions. We observe our world through a filter that we are more intelligent than any other being on this planet; how very naive of us to think that way. Because animals don’t communicate in the same language or rely on the same tools or technology doesn't mean one organism is more intelligent than another. What does intelligence actually measure and what standards are we using to gauge the intelligence of other organisms?
Several trips this season have included a behavior referred to as “mugging.” This is the term humans use when a whale stays so close to the boat that we cannot move. I hesitate to use it over the microphone because it carries such a negative connotation. This close approach feels more like a meaningful interaction than an intrusion. Often this spring, whales have circled the boat and paused near different groups of passengers. On one trip, a whale surfaced beside each group and exhaled, showering them with whale “snot” as laughter and excited shrieks echoed across the vessel. During one of these encounters, I left the bridge and went down to the lower deck to experience it firsthand. Two young siblings invited me to stand with them at the rail, and the whales kept surfacing in front of us, each appearance sending the children shrieking in delight. Later, on our way back, a passenger told me she felt the whales were connecting with the children because they represent our hope for the future. She understood exactly what I try to foster every day on the boat. I feel a deep responsibility to help people slow down and open their eyes, hearts, and souls to the energy that surrounds us in nature.
I find myself describing and interpreting the whales’ behaviors to passengers in a way that humanizes them. There is a scientific term for this, anthropomorphism. For example, today I implied that a curious calf (curious?~how do I really know?) was ‘bored’ because mom was busy feeding. See what I did there? I don’t really know why the calf left mom’s side and came over to the boat. Did it look like the calf was playing and passing time while mom was busy? Sure… but I don't understand whale communication. There is quite a lot of debate over anthropomorphism in the scientific world and in the development of AI. Curious…I invite you to my ‘rabbit hole’. I am aware that I am using human descriptors, and I believe I do so to help passengers develop a connection. However, am I placing a human bias on our observations?
As you can see, this spring’s encounters have left me reflecting deeply.

05/20/2026

Today was my 15th trip of the season... as of today, we have identified over 60 different GOM humpback whales! Never have we had such a start to the season. These last few days we have been in the midst of a baby boom of humpback calves. So many new members of this population. Some are a bit timid, staying close to their moms, while others have feisty personalities that seem to get bored with the adults feeding and choose to go 'human watching'. In addition, the grey seals seem to have joined the curious calves, popping up like the carnival game, "whack-a-mole" on all sides of the boat.
Some of the whales we've encountered this weekend are in no particular order:
Pele
Jabiru
Venom
Crinkle
Boutonniere
Seafan
Hashtag
Bolide
Face-off
A+
Abrasion
Eruption
Bowline
Startrail
Milkweed
Spell
Crisscross
Entropy
Bearclaw
Hasselback
and 8-9 calves

The weather is fair, the seas are calm and the wildlife is abundant. Check your schedules, grab a friend or two and join us on the feeding grounds. I cannot guarantee what you will encounter, but I promise you that being in nature is invigorating!
1-800-877-5110

**All images were captured using telescopic lens in compliance with Whale Watching guidelines. In addition, Cape Ann Whale Watch contributes its data to the Center for Coastal Studies, who curates the Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale catalog.**