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The Whales Have Made Their 2020 Debut!

The Whales Have Made Their 2020 Debut! 1
Humpback whales spotted Tuesday between Leduck and Norman islands. Image credit: John Faith

Earlier this week, we told you over on our Facebook page that whale were spotted off of St. John’s south shore. Well yesterday, they were spotted between Leduck and Norman islands. You know what that means? They’re here! And they could be anywhere, so keep your eyes peeled and look for them out in the water.

Each year, during the months of February and March (and sometimes even late January or early April if we’re lucky), humpback whales can be seen swimming in the waters around St. John, St. Thomas and the British Virgin Islands. They typically make this winter appearance with their calves before heading north to cooler waters. The calves spend the first few months of their lives in the warm waters of the Caribbean, and they do so in order to build up a layer of blubber that will keep them warm when they’re up north.

So you may be wondering, where do I see them? Honestly, they could be anywhere. Yesterday they were spotted between Leduck and Norman Islands. (Side note: They were spotted by John Faith, owner of Faith Full View, the villa that we raffled off last year and raised a whopping $200,000 for the Bahamas!) On Sunday, they were spotted off of Reef Bay. In the past, I have seen them in many areas around St. John. The first time I ever saw them I was on the car barge going from St. John to St. Thomas. I was sitting on Honeymoon one day a few years back and saw them breaching off of Mingo Cay. And the most amazing experience I ever had with the whales was back in 2016 when I was out boating with Busy Bee. We had just finished a snorkel stop near Tektite when we saw a humpback whale do a full breach out of the water. It was magical. I was so excited that I didn’t even get a photo. I did get a quick live image of one diving back down into the water. Here is that:

Steve Simonsen has captured numerous amazing images over the years. Here are a few pics he has taken:

A 2017 image captured by Steve Simonsen
Image credit: Steve Simonsen Photography
Image credit: Steve Simonsen Photography
Image credit: Steve Simonsen Photography
2017 whale 1
Image credit: Steve Simonsen Photography
whale 2017 pic 5
Image credit: Steve Simonsen Photography

Amazing, isn’t it?

For those of you who plan on doing a bit of whale watching, adult humpback whales have dark grey bodies and are between 35 and 60 feet long. They are endangered, so you’re not allowed to touch them. Just love them from afar please, which is at least 100 yards away according to federal law. 🙂 And most importantly if you are lucky enough to see the whales, send us pics! Or better yet, email me at [email protected], so we can share them with all of you.

Happy whale watching!

Tag: St. John whales, Whales in St. John

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