GLOUCESTER — There was cheering and shouting far off shore on July 4 when a local whale watch boat enjoyed a rare sighting of the largest animal on the planet — a blue whale.
Excitement ran through the boat, the Hurricane II, when Tina McMahon-Foley, senior naturalist with Cape Ann Whale Watch, announced that the visitors were about to see a blue whale.
“We had seen a report the day before that a New Hampshire boat had seen,” she said. “We went out that afternoon for a traditional whale watch, and headed to an area to look for whales.
“We were with two humpback whales and the captain called me in and said, ‘Do you want to go see (the blue whale)?’ and I thought he was teasing me. I didn’t believe him at first. But I glanced over and saw the whale’s exhale, which is taller than a two-deck whale watch boat.”
Blue whales are the largest animals ever to live on the planet, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
McMahon-Foley, the voice over the whale watch microphone, was trying to contain her excitement as she waited for the blue whale to come up again so she could make the announcement, and when she did, the boat erupted in cries of delight.
The first time McMahon-Foley saw a blue whale, it was more than 20 years ago and it was a fleeting sight.
“I literally saw it go down on a dive and that was it,” she said. “But this time around I got to see this whale head to toe, multiple times, and I really feel like I saw a blue whale.”
Using the length of the whale watch boat as a point of reference at 109 feet, they estimate the whale they saw alongside the boat was at least 100 feet long.
“When we first came upon it, I didn’t know how long we were going to see it for but we spent 30 minutes with the whale,” McMahon-Foley said. “This blue whale did four-minute dives — which means we saw it every four minutes — which is unheard of because whales can go down for a very long time so every passenger on the boat had multiple viewings of this massive animal.”
She noted how the various whale watch companies share the time with whales, moving in and out so each boat has a chance to see the whales.
“As we were leaving, we were cheering to the passengers on the other boats. It was amazing to me that one individual — meaning the blue whale — can create such camaraderie among so many people. All of a sudden people on other boats are waving and cheering to each other,” McMahon-Foley said.
“We’ve had some reflective moments since the sighting because we all understand how special that viewing was and how precious that moment was for all of us. It was extraordinary — the most incredible day with humpbacks, finbacks and a blue whale.”
It has been an interesting spring and fruitful spring for whale watching, in part, because of the abundance of krill, on which they feed.
“That’s an indication that the feeding ground is doing well and that there is bait to support these huge animals,” she said.
On a humorous note, the naturalist shared that once the Hurricane II left the viewing of the blue whale, it came across a fin whale, also known as a finback whale, the second longest whale after the blue whale.
“The finback whale popped up and that’s a 70 foot whale,” she said. “Usually it’s the largest animal I ever see, but when I glanced over, it didn’t seem quite as big by comparison that day.”
Gail McCarthy may be contacted at 978-675-2706, or gmccarthy@northofboston.com.
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