whale watching on east coast?

[goofypizza]

my best friend LOVES whales. would like to surprise her with a trip in 2016. Would appreciate anybodys
experiences,advice,when to go,etc. Thanks

 

[hereyago]

[QUOTE="goofypizza, post: 54899944, member: 55y best friend LOVES whales. would like to surprise her with a trip in 2016. Would appreciate anybodys
experiences,advice,when to go,etc. Thanks[/QUOTE)

In Virginia beach, Virginia:'whale watching cruises run from late December-end of March I believe.
Adults pay $28.00
Rudee Tours

 

[stitch'sgirl]

Our family took a whale watching tour in Boston through the aquarium this summer. Best whale watching we've ever experienced and very reasonably priced. We've been in the Caribbean and Hawaii and this was by far superior in the number of whales and the information provided. We went in the beginning of July.

 

[sonnyjane]

Do you have a season in mind? As mentioned, summer will be your best bet for the northern east coast (Maine, Mass.). Humpbacks and right whales would be the prime targets.

 

[GaryDis]

I did a trip with the Dolphin Fleet out of Provincetown, in late May a couple of years ago. They always have a naturalist on board to answer questions and provide info, and they participate in data collection for researchers. On my trip we saw plenty of humpbacks, some minke, and one finback. I regret not having binoculars, as it was really difficult to see anything distinctive about the minke and finback. But on the other hand, it was awesome (in the traditional, awe-inspiring meaning) to see the humpbacks using bubble nets to catch their lunch.

The mixed blessing is that it's simply not worth going to Provincetown to just do a whale watch; you're better off picking up a boat in Boston. But if you're interested in other stuff around P'town and Cape Cod, then it's certainly worth picking up a whale watch here. An advantage is that P'town is closer to the usual feeding grounds, so there's less time spent just traveling to where the whales are.

right whales would be the prime targets.

Northern right whales are endangered, with only about 400 reported in the western North Atlantic (and nearly extinct in the eastern North Atlantic). If you see one, it will be a thrill of a lifetime, but don't count on it.

Humpbacks, on the other hand, have recovered well and are easy to find. We saw at least half a dozen on my one trip.

EDIT: Pick a location and call one of the tours to find out the best time to go. I think May worked well for me, because many of the whales are still on the migration north, and go through the feeding grounds off Cape Cod. But I didn't actually ask what the best time was.

 

[sonnyjane]

Northern right whales are endangered, with only about 400 reported in the western North Atlantic (and nearly extinct in the eastern North Atlantic). If you see one, it will be a thrill of a lifetime, but don't count on it.

Humpbacks, on the other hand, have recovered well and are easy to find. We saw at least half a dozen on my one trip.

EDIT: Pick a location and call one of the tours to find out the best time to go. I think May worked well for me, because many of the whales are still on the migration north, and go through the feeding grounds off Cape Cod. But I didn't actually ask what the best time was.

Yes but earlier this year about 80-100 right whales were off the Cape and stayed for an extended period of time. Humpbacks are the prime focus but if you're going to ever see right whales, that's the place to try. I considered making an impromptu trip last summer just to see them when I heard they were hanging around but couldn't quite swing it.

Also in addition to whales, the cape's population of great whites is booming too. Now THAT would be cool to see! There were tons of sightings this past summer.

 

[sonnyjane]

Also just my personal advice (I am a whale-watching naturalist on the west coast), if there's any doubt about sea sickness, just take the medicine. There's no pride in not taking it. I advise one dose the night before and one dose an hour before the trip. It could make you drowsy but that's much better than the alternative. East coast waters can be choppy if you're not used to being on the water. I'm always sad to see people's "once-in-a-lifetime" trip ruined by seasickness.

Also dress warm and in layers. Even if you go in summer, it's usually at least 15 degrees cooler on the water and much more windy. You want to be outside enjoying everything, not inside huddled up missing all the action.

 

[clori]

I second the sea sickness medication. Once many years ago I did a whale watch out of the Boston Aquarium area along with a friend and her 4 year old. We met a lady with a 3 year old on board. While I felt queasy for part of the trip I never got sick. Unfortuntely the other two mothers spent the majority of the trip in the restroom. I ended up telling the lady I just met that I would watch her kid. The lady probably would not have allowed a stranger to watch her kid normally but she was in no shape to watch her at all and the kid kept running around. The kids and I enjoyed seeing the whales but unfortunately I don't think either mother saw any whales. While it wasn't a once in a lifetime opportunity I have never had a desire to go on a whale watch since.

 

[MickeySP]

Whereabouts on the east coast? It's a big area.

 

[CynBeth]

A few years ago around July 4th we took a trip to Cape Cod and Boston. We also did the combo ticket with the whale watch and admission to the NE Aquarium and it was great! We did other attractions in Boston as well and before that spent the first half of the week at Cape Cod. We took side trips to Salem and Plymouth. The town on the cape we were in had a great parade in the afternoon on the day of the holiday and fireworks at night. For the first part of the day we took the ferry to Nantucket and they had fun things to do.

 

[kate_wdw]

Another endorsement for Provincetown! I went whale watching a couple hours north of there, and it didn't compare at all.

 

[debster812]

To the poster who said that the humpbacks are recovering nicely, you are 100% correct. In fact, a humpback was spotted in Narragansett Bay YESTERDAY (12/28). A harbormaster caught some pics of it breaching and playing.

http://www.boston.com/news/2015/12/...tory.html?s_campaign=bcom:socialflow:facebook

By now, the whales are typically LONG gone from these parts.

We live just south of Boston, and have done the whale watch out of the Boston Aquarium quite a few times, and have never been disappointed,

 

[nikkistevej]

We did the Dolphin Fleet Whale watch frm Provincetown this past summer also, they were awesome. We saw so many whales, they were surrounding the boat, breaching, "bubble-netting", probably saw at least 25-30 whales. It was too many to look at. A fantastc experience!!