New England EcoAdventures, 8 Western Avenue, Kennebunk, ME (2026)

05/30/2026

Week One of the 2026 Season is in the books! ✅

On Wednesday, we had a brief encounter with a minke whale, followed by some beautiful looks at a pair of fin whales (the second largest animal on Earth!), who were associated with a small pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins! 🐬 It’s always fascinating to observe the interactions between different species, and it was especially great to see dolphins in our area so early in the season. Last year, the dolphins took quite some time to show up and we didn’t really begin seeing them until July, but it would seem they’ve arrived earlier this year!

While Friday’s trip didn’t have the same luck with whales (though not for lack of trying…we traveled almost all the way to Cape Ann, Massachusetts!), we still got to spend some time with dozens of seals hauled up on the rocks of Boon Island, and even saw a harbor porpoise only a hundred yards or so off the coast of the Bush Compound in Kennebunkport!

While the gale force winds in the region are keeping us on the dock this weekend, we are hoping for calmer seas this coming week so we can get back out there and see who’s making their way into the area!

Book your trip with us today at: https://newenglandecoadventures.com

05/26/2026

Let the Season begin! 🙌🏼

On Saturday, we made our way out to Jeffrey’s Ledge, one of the primary feeding grounds for whales in the Gulf of Maine, and came across our first humpback whale of the season! This is an adult male named Grand Manan, who gave us some awesome looks at his unique fluke pattern as he went on deep dives to feed beneath the surface. It’s great to be back on the water and seeing who’s out there on the Ledge this time of year!

Unfortunately, the rain and offshore winds turned us back early on Sunday and kept us off the water on Memorial Day, but we’re looking forward to going out tomorrow! You never know what you’re going to get, both in terms of wildlife and weather, but that’s all part of the adventure!

We’d love to have you on a whale watch with us this season! Book your trip now at https://newenglandecoadventures.com

Thanks to our Naturalist Wes for capturing these clips of Grand Manan on Saturday!

05/23/2026

And just like that, the 2026 Season is underway! 🤩

Our Kennebunk location is now open for business, with Outlier running trips on weekends and Monday-Wednesday-Friday, eventually switching to daily trips in late June. Trips on Buzzworthy in Portland will begin on June 1st. We can’t wait to get out there and see some whales, lighthouses, seals, and more!

The first few trips of the season are at full capacity, but there are still plenty of seats available in the coming weeks! Reserve your tickets now at https://newenglandecoadventures.com

(p.s. I will be working my first trip of the season this coming Wednesday, so while I won’t be onboard to take photos for the first few whale watches this season, I’ve asked my Naturalists to send me some pictures so I can post a sightings report from our opening weekend. Good luck out there, guys! 🤙🏼 ~David)

05/22/2026

What species of whale might you see on a whale watch with New England EcoAdventures? 🐋

There are over 90 living species in Cetacea, the group of marine mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. These incredible mammals have adapted to live in all kinds of aquatic habitats across the globe, from the Arctic to the tropics, from the deep sea to freshwater rivers. Over a dozen cetacean species have been sighted in the Gulf of Maine, but some are very rare and infrequently seen, such as the S***m Whale and Risso’s Dolphin. So which species are you most likely to encounter when you embark on a whale watching adventure in the Gulf of Maine?

Enter: “The Big 5”! The Fin Whale, Minke Whale, Humpback Whale, Atlantic White-Sided Dolphin, and Harbor Porpoise. These five species of cetacean are by far the most commonly seen in our region, and we often get the pleasure of seeing one or several of them on our whale watching trips. There have even been trips where we see ALL 5 of them!

Naturally, keep in mind that we never know exactly what we’re going to encounter on any given trip, and the Gulf of Maine is full of surprises!

Come out on a whale watch with us this summer to meet our “locals” that feed in the productive waters of the Gulf! Our 2026 Season starts TOMORROW in Kennebunk! Book a trip now at https://newenglandecoadventures.com

05/20/2026

Hi everyone! 👋🏼

My name is David, and I’m the Lead Naturalist here at New England EcoAdventures! This season, I’ll be taking over the NEEA social media (Instagram and Facebook) and posting weekly sightings reports from whale watching trips out of our Kennebunk location.

I grew up in the D.C. Metro area of Northern Virginia and have always had a passion for the natural world and wildlife. I studied Geology at James Madison University and went on to receive my Master’s Degree from George Mason University, studying the evolutionary history of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) and their fossil record.

I research both living whales and their fossil ancestors, and I truly believe that cetaceans are the most incredible animals on Earth. I now work as a Research Associate for The Blue Ocean Society (Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation blueoceansociety), collecting research data and photos during our whale watches so we can better protect and understand the animals we have the pleasure of observing in their natural habitat.

I am beyond excited for the 2026 Season to begin, and I hope you are too! Book a trip with us today and create memories of a lifetime! https://newenglandecoadventures.com

Huge thanks to Olivia Toppen (takenbyoliviafaye) for taking these wonderful photos of me on our Kennebunk boat, Outlier!

05/19/2026

Hungry Hungry Humpbacks! 🐋

Less than ONE WEEK until the start of our 2026 Season! The whales are back, and they are HUNGRY! Our humpback whales do not feed much, if at all, during their migration to and from the breeding grounds in the Caribbean, so by the time they get back to their feeding grounds here in the Gulf of Maine, they are absolutely famished.

The Gulf of Maine essentially serves as an “all-you-can-eat” buffet for humpback whales, who indulge themselves on small schooling fish such as mackerel and herring, and can consume over 3,000 pounds of fish per day! 🤯 One of the most spectacular behaviors we witness on our whale watching trips is “lunge feeding,” where the whale thrusts its body forward (and sometimes high above the surface!) with its mouth wide open, engulfing hundreds of fish all at once! Whales often feed beneath the surface, out of our view, but occasionally when prey is at the top of the water column, the whales will engage in surface feeding, which is truly a sight to behold 🤩

Here are some of our favorite shots of humpback whales lunge feeding at the surface during our 2025 Season. Note that in some of the pictures you can even see the fish!

Want a chance to see a whale feeding frenzy? Book a whale watch with us! Get your tickets now at https://newenglandecoadventures.com

05/15/2026

Our RAREST sighting of 2025! 💚

On a September whale watching trip out of Kennebunk last year, our passengers were treated to something truly special. While making our way back towards home, we spotted a small animal swimming just beneath the surface. It was a sea turtle! And not just any sea turtle, but a KEMP’S RIDLEY Sea Turtle!!

The Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) is the smallest and most endangered of the world’s seven sea turtle species. They are found primarily in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic Coast of the U.S., including the Gulf of Maine, but sightings in our waters are exceptionally rare. Accordingly, this sighting was reported to experts at NOAA’s Greater Atlantic Region Sea Turtle Program so it could be properly documented. Turtles in this species only grow to about 2 feet long, and this particular individual was certainly not fully grown as it appeared to be only about a foot long and was likely a juvenile. 🥹

Sea turtle sightings are a rare treat for whale watching trips in our region, and it is not unusual to go an entire season (or even several seasons) without seeing a single one. When turtles are seen on our whale watches, they are more commonly Leatherback or Loggerhead sea turtles.

This sighting is one we will never forget! Who knows what we might come across this season? Join us on a whale watch during the 2026 Season to see what’s out there in the Gulf! Book today at: https://newenglandecoadventures.com

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! 💖

One of our absolute favorite things to see out there on the water is mother-calf pairs of whales! While we didn’t have any humpback mother-calf pairs last season (which is a bit unusual), we did see at least one fin whale mother with her calf. Fin whales are the second largest animal on Earth, and even at birth, the calves can already be over 20 feet long and weigh up to 3 tons! That’s a big baby!

It’s always amazing to see a whale, but mother-calf pairs are something really special. Here’s to hoping we have a “baby boom” in our humpback whale population this summer! We’ve already seen reports from other whale watching companies who have started their season that several well-known females in the region have brought a calf back with them from the Caribbean breeding grounds this year… 👀

Be sure to take a moment today to appreciate all of the mothers who shape our lives! There’s no love like a mother’s love ❤️❤️❤️

Come out on a whale watch with us for your chance to see a mother-calf pair! Book your trip today at: https://newenglandecoadventures.com/the-ultimate-whale-watch/

05/09/2026

Digging up Fossil Whales in the Peruvian Desert! ⛏️🦴

Our Lead Naturalist, David, doesn’t only research modern whales; he is also a paleontologist who studies their fossil record! David is a graduate of the Uhen Lab, a research group at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia that specializes in the evolutionary history of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises).

During this offseason, David had the opportunity to travel to Peru in search of the fossilized remains of whale ancestors that lived tens of millions of years ago. He joined fellow Uhen Lab member and Peruvian whale fossil extraordinaire Piero Giuffra on an expedition into the Pisco Basin, one of the most famous fossil whale localities on Planet Earth. Today, the basin is a vast desert, but millions of years ago it was a shallow sea teeming with life, from giant predatory sharks like the infamous megalodon, to bizarre toothed whales and aquatic sloths!

The expedition was an overwhelming success, and the team was able to visit several already discovered specimens, including some of the only whale fossils in the world that have the baleen preserved (baleen is made of keratin, which is much softer than bone, so it usually does not fossilize)! However, the team also did some prospecting and was able to excavate several new specimens, including a ~40 million year old ancestral whale with fossilized stomach contents, providing unequivocal evidence that this early whale was eating small fish!

Studying their evolutionary past gives us a profound appreciation for the whales we share the planet with today. They really are some of the most incredible animals on Earth, and we feel beyond blessed to have the opportunity to see them in their natural habitat here in the Gulf of Maine! 🐋💙

05/04/2026

Pinball saying “Hello!” 👋🥹

Looking back at this moment from last season with Pinball, an adult female humpback whale who is one of our fan favorites!

We typically view whales from a distance, as we don’t want to cause any stress for the animals or alter their natural behaviors, but every once in a while, the whales get curious and come right up to us! On this beautiful July day last year, Pinball did just that. She approached the starboard side of Outlier, made a turn parallel to the boat, and went on a deep dive right beside us, lifting her tail high above the surface and giving us a spectacular look at her instantly recognizable fluke pattern. I think I would not be alone in saying Pinball has one of the prettiest flukes in the Gulf of Maine! 💙

It’s moments like this that stick with us forever! Come join us on a whale watch this summer, and make incredible memories of your own! Book your tickets now at https://newenglandecoadventures.com

New England EcoAdventures

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