I was taking pictures with my old Samsung phone, fine for static shots but too slow a shutter even to try the cavorting mammals. Here are some of my observations, intermixed with action shots by Roy.
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| Port side, heading out toward Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary |
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| On the lookout from the prow. |
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| A whale blows out a big breath ... the first hint that our big neighbors were feeding nearby. |
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| We close in on the spouter, who is diving for lunch. Intake has to add up each day to 3,000+ pounds of seafood to build up enough blubber to live off all winter in the relatively sterile Caribbean breeding ground. |
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| Soon we were surrounded by a pod of North Atlantic dolphins, who can turn on a dime, in play or in pursuit of food. |
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| The 7 Seas crew helped us spot our prey. Not pictured is the marine biologist who abundantly narrated the trip. The fishing boat dogged our trail, seeming more interested in watching whales than in catching their own supper. |
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| This hunting pair showed us their famous tail slaps which leave a circle of pressurized water on the surface, formerly thought to be an oil slick. We didn't see much playful behavior, the sort depicted on insurance commercials, but plenty of diving as they went about the serious business of survival. |
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| Roy befriending visitors from Hackney, London, just a couple of miles from Roy's birthplace. |
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| Two mothers and their calves (one not pictured here) cavorted beside the boat for several breathtaking minutes. Were they showing off their children, or showing their children the strange oohing and aahing creatures in the boat? Often the green shadow of the white belly was our marker for tracking a whale. |
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| You are right, those are barnacles decorating this whale's tail, like earrings. |
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| And here are the land-based Barnacles, "having a great day." |
