Boston's Whale Watching Attraction For Families
A 'Whale of a time' to be had in Massachusetts!
Oct 19, 2009
Boston's Rich Oceanic History
Boston's proximity to the Ocean has shaped the city’s history and outlook down the centuries; with it being one of the major emigrant arrival ports, to its predominance of seafood such as clams and lobster.
A Whale Watching excursion is a fine example of family fun that can be had in Boston. Indeed, a major highlight of any family trip to this warm and welcoming capital city of Massachusetts is the excursion to see the humpback whales a few miles out in the Atlantic Ocean. Ships depart regularly from Boston Harbour from April through late November, with finbacks and minkes also able to be spotted.
Humpbacks
The Humpback is a commonly spotted whale, and these Northern hemisphere whales reach an average length of 50 feet, and weigh about 37 tons. The Humpback acquired its title by virtue of the fact that its back arches out of the water when getting ready to take a deep dive. Each Humpback has distinct black and white markings on its tail, and these unique markings enable scientists to distinguish one Humpback from another.
Humpbacks are notorious for their 'singing' - they're capable of hitting octaves that include frequencies humans can't pick up. While singing, the whale floats essentially motionless, head down in the water. The purpose of the song is believed to be mating or possible male dominance.
Minkes
The Minke is a sleek, small, dolphin-like baleen whale. It is relatively small in size, and its diet is a wider variety of fish rather than large quantities of smaller fish. Very little is known about the life history of Minke whales, but females are thought to give birth to one calf at a time once every 1-2 years.
Finbacks
Finbacks are primarily seen as solitary animals, although co-ordinated groups of up to 15 animals together have been observed. There is some evidence that finbacks may live up to 100 years, and given the fact that this endangered species is now protected in international waters, their numbers will hopefully grow to exceed their current level of circa 80,000.
Boston's only 3-hour whale watch
Boston Harbor Cruise's (www.bostonharborcruises.com) Whale Watching cruise is a great educational experience. Professional researchers from the Whale Center of New England, the region's foremost authority on whale populations, are onboard for every trip to provide narration. They teach kids (and their parents) about everything from whale behavior and migration patterns to the local ecology so visitors can better understand the whales.
Whale Center of New England
The Whale Center of New England (www.whalecenter.org) was founded in 1980 to study whales frequenting waters off the Massachusetts coast, and works co-operatively with a number of privately owned whale watch companies.
So if you live in the Boston area, or are fortunate enough to find yourself on vacation in that wonderful part of the world, then sailing on the Atlantic Ocean in search of whales is perfect for you and the kids!
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