New England EcoAdventures

Name: New England EcoAdventures
Address: 8 Western Avenue, Kennebunk, ME, 04043, US
Telephone: +12075028040
Price range: $$

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New England EcoAdventures

Lighthouse Tours, Whale Watching and Scenic Fun aboard our high-performance RIB boat. We provide unrivaled, exhilarating ocean-based adventures! Boat Tour Agency

06/19/2026

The “Regulars” are back in town! 🐋

On several of our Ultimate Whale Watch tours over the past week, we’ve encountered some of our fan favorite humpback whales, including Pinball, Satula, and Sedge! These whales are very well known individuals; Pinball is an adult female with an instantly recognizable tail fluke pattern, and Satula and Sedge are adult males who are both missing their dorsal fins due to previous injuries! It’s been great to see some of our favorite whales returning the Jeffrey’s Ledge area to feed.

Along with the humpbacks, we’ve also been seeing the occasional fin whale and minke whale, as well as basking sharks, ocean sunfish (Mola mola), and plenty of seals!

Next week, we will begin running trips every day, with many days offering two whale watching tours (AM and PM). Don’t miss out on the fun! Book your tickets now at https://newenglandecoadventures.com

06/12/2026

The Humpbacks are back! 🐋

For the first handful of whale watches this season, the humpback whales have been few and far between. That all changed this past Monday…

It took a few hours to come across our first whale on Monday, but once we did, we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by humpbacks! We’ve identified at least 11 different individuals in total, many of which were in close proximity to each other, resulting in what we naturalists like to call “whale soup,” where you can look in any direction around the boat and see the blow of a whale! Among these whales was the one and only…PINBALL! 💙 One of the most iconic whales in the Gulf of Maine and a fan favorite at NEEA and the Blue Ocean Society, Pinball had not been reported by anyone in the area in 2026 until now, and we were absolutely thrilled to finally see her out there. Earlier in the trip, we also saw a porbeagle shark feeding on a large fish at the surface, which is certainly something you don’t see every day! What a trip.

On Wednesday, we fought against large swells to make it offshore, but eventually came across two familiar adult female humpbacks known as Valley and Owl. These two had been seen amongst all the others on Monday as well, but had separated from the chaos of the “soup” and now seemed to be on a mission, traveling alongside each other and going on shallow dives.

Humpback whales identified include:

Brachiosaurus
Chromosome
Clamp
Fan
Jigsaw
Owl
Pinball
Quote
Seadog
Spoon
Valley

Come out on a trip with us! Book your whale watch today at: https://newenglandecoadventures.com

06/07/2026

Starting to feel like Summer! ☀️🐋

In the past week, we have had the pleasure of spending time with a variety of marine life in the Gulf of Maine, including whales, dolphins, and seals, and several of our trips have had glassy seas! ✨

On Wednesday, we came across a very active pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins, who played in our wake and splashed around in a feeding frenzy alongside some gulls. We then found a pair of fin whales, and wrapped up our trip with a lone humpback whale, an adult male named Gondolier, who was using bubble clouds to feed at the surface!

Friday was the day of the minkes! We saw a total of four different minke whales, but by far the most memorable was our first encounter, which was an adorable baby minke! (See previous post for video) This tiny whale circled us repeatedly and even swam directly underneath Outlier!

On Saturday, we had to put in some time and distance to find a whale, but we eventually encountered a well-known adult male humpback known as Sedge! We got some beautiful looks as he dove down to feed beneath the surface.

The season is picking up! Only a couple more weeks until we start running trips every day, including many days with two whale watches (one AM trip, one PM trip)! Don’t miss out on the adventure of a lifetime! Get your tickets now at https://newenglandecoadventures.com

06/05/2026

Baby Minke Whale! 🥹

Today was super calm out on the Gulf. We were treated to glassy seas and some incredible encounters with the local wildlife! The highlight of the trip was this TINY minke whale.

The common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is the second smallest species of baleen whale on Earth, only growing to lengths of 25 to 35 feet as adults. This individual we came across today, however, appeared to be no more than 8-10 feet long at most! Given that minkes are typically born around December and are weaned after only 4-6 months, this whale is likely a calf that only recently separated from its mother and began feeding on its own!

Minkes are already considered “small” as far as baleen whales go, but to see a BABY minke whale was truly something else! This curious young whale circled our boat for 20-30 minutes, and because the seas were so calm, you could see the distinctive white patch on the pectoral flippers (affectionately called “minke mittens”) while the whale swam just beneath the surface!

Such an awesome sighting for our passengers today! More pictures and sightings updates from recent trips to come soon…just wanted to share this clip of our adorable baby minke from today! 😁

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

06/03/2026

Trips begin TODAY in Portland!

The 2026 Season is officially underway at both of our two locations, Kennebunk and Portland! Our speedy 30-foot RIB boat, Buzzworthy, will be taking passengers on its first trip of the season today, joining Outlier on the Gulf of Maine to search for whales. Our Portland locations also offers lighthouse tours and scenic trips that bring you to some of the iconic landmarks in beautiful Casco Bay, and FAST!

Best of luck out there today, Team Portland! 🤙🏼

Book your trip with us today at either location! Get tickets at https://newenglandecoadventures.com

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!

Address

8 Western Avenue
Kennebunk, ME
04043

Telephone

+12075028040

Website

https://newenglandecoadventures.com/

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