A creature not witnessed by members of the public for decades has left people “in tears and in total awe” after emerging from the depths. The rarity had not been spotted by anyone for some time, with the “incredibly rare” sighting thankfully captured on camera.
A post to social media from the Cape Ann-based team confirmed the encounter, which occurred last year. A recent post from the Whale Watching team has since shared additional photographs of their recent observations, including a Humpback Whale captured through a telescopic lens.
Those images would be a treat for those hoping to catch a glimpse of a blue whale. The seldom-seen creature made an appearance in July 2024, which thrilled the team, as they are now known to be rare.
They shared their footage on social media and were commended by members of the public for documenting the extraordinary sighting. The Cape Ann team wrote: “Today I got my first ever look at a blue whale!
“This whale is not common to our waters at all. I believe the last time we heard of a blue whale sighting in our waters was over 20 years ago.”
The team added: “Our naturalist shed tears and could barely speak, interns too had tears and were in total awe. This blue whale has been around for a couple of days now.
“Do you realise how hard it is to find one particular whale whale in this huge ocean?”
It would be a record observation from the team, who received confirmation that it was the first blue whale sighting in Cape Ann waters since 2006.
The team added: “It has been reported that she was first documented in 2006 and was last seen four years ago. It is so exciting to be part of something larger than oneself and that this one whale is creating a momentum of curiosity for the natural world!
“There aren’t any guarantees that we will see her again, but each of our trips is unique and exhilarating!”
Members of the public were left astounded after witnessing the magnificent creature, with one observer completely mesmerised.
One person remarked: “I’m in awe.” Another said: “How exciting! This is fantastic! It seems like as bad as Covid was, the year people couldn’t do anything has done wonders for wildlife.
“Since 2020, ‘new’ species have come out from hiding. Never knew there were Blue Whales in the Atlantic, let alone the St Lawrence Seaway. Just amazing!”
Additional photographs and video footage were posted by the organisation, though even the crew acknowledged the images failed to capture the true magnificence of the blue whale.
They shared: “As promised I am posting photos from our awesome trips yesterday. The photos do not due justice to the wonderful things we saw, but here they are.”