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9 Best Whale Watching Spots in New England

Reshma Jirage
New England is a region of northeastern United States, comprising of 6 states. It offers the incredible sights to watch huge whales in their natural habitat. You can see a vast variety of these majestic creatures like humpback, right, finback, sperm and minke.

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The best time for whale watching in New England is between May to October, when the migrating whales arrive in the surrounding waters. You can opt for the guided tours. Whale-watching cruises make a fantastic day trip.

Whale Watching in Massachusetts

It is one of the world’s best spots for whale watching. The Massachusetts waters become a home to a large population of migrating huge whales such as humpback, finback, right, minke and pilot whales. 

Cape Cod Bay

It is yet another ultimate destination located off the coast of Massachusetts. It has a huge population of wide variety of whale species like pilot, humpback, finback, right and minke whales. You can also enjoy sightings of other sea creatures like dolphins, seals, turtles and waterfowl.

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Maine Whale Watching

You can watch some of the huge whales feeding and sporting just miles off the Maine coast. The best season is from mid-April to October, when the whales arrive in local waters for feeding.

Newport, Rhode Island Area

Whale watching from this area is an amazing experience with the sight of about 70 feet long finback whales. You can also watch humpback and right whales. The whale watching season may extend into the fall, when it’s migrating period for whales.

Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick & Nova Scotia

The period between June and October is the best, while August is the peak season. Located between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, this marine is a home to variety of species of whales due to its nutrient-rich, tide-fed feeding grounds.
You may opt for whale-watching cruises from both bay-fronts of Canadian provinces. Most common seen whales are humpback, finback and minke. You can also watch the endangered North Atlantic right whale as well as pilot, sperm, blue, killer and beluga whales.

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Massachusetts

It is one of the world’s best whale-watching sites ranked by the World Wildlife Fund. Situated at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay, this marine sanctuary attracts about 1.5 million tourists every year. Pilot, humpback, finback, minke and right whales can be frequently seen in here.

Newfoundland and Labrador

The optimum conditions in the island of Newfoundland attract amazing 22 species of whales. The maximum numbers of humpbacks, more than 10,000 every year, gather together here, due to abundance of capelin, krill and squid.
Other types like sperm, fin, minke, orca, pilot and blue whales can also be seen. May to September is the right time to visit, whereas June and July offer the sights of icebergs.

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Bar Harbor, Maine

Many companies offer classic whale-watching outings and sunset excursions. Most commonly seen whale species are finback, humpback and minke. You can have sights of seals, Atlantic white-sided dolphins, sharks, harbor porpoises and ocean sunfish.

Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

You can take excursions from the Pleasant Bay, which include traditional sightseeing vessels and adventurous Zodiac boats. However, the major attraction is snorkeling with whales on the western coast of Cape Breton. Humpbacks, finbacks, minkes, pilots and dolphins are most commonly seen.