This morning on the Asteria we travelled out to the SW corner of Stellwagen. It was a bit breezy today, with gusts between 11-16 knots, so it was a little difficult to spot for blows at first because of all the extra white caps. Luckily, we were able to spot Nile and her calf!

Nile's calf raises a flipper high

We spent some exciting time with these two whales—it is lovely to see how much weight these two have put on this season because they both are looking rather plump. We were treated to a cool behavior just after approaching the whales, the calf was nursing! Later in the trip, the calf decided to be a bit playful at the surface and began rolling and slapping its pectoral flippers. Nile joined in a little too, mirroring her calf’s behavior! Passengers thought it was adorable!

Nile's flippers are very visible below the surface

After spending some time with this pair, we decided to travel further on to the bank where other blows were sighted. There were five humpback whales in this new area: two pairs and one lone humpback. We finished our trip watching Jabiru and Mogul, a different pair of adult humpbacks who were likely feeding together. It was a splash-tastic day out on the water!

— Annie G. and Grace