Whale Madness and a Salt Sighting
04.30.2026
A True New England Whale Watching Experience
Trusted by generations of guests since 1983
North of Boston's Best Small Business Award Winner 2025
#1 Ranked Whale Watch in Gloucester Since 2009 on TripAdvisor
#2 On Tripadvisor’s List of "Top Family-Fun in the World" Dec 2023
Welcome Aboard the
Privateer IV
From Historic Gloucester to the Waters of Stellwagen National Marine Sanctuary
Departing just 50 minutes north of Boston, we introduce thousands of passengers each year to the whales and marine wildlife found just miles from our Gloucester dock. Our daily whale watch trips run from mid-April through mid-October, offering an educational and inspiring experience in this remarkable marine sanctuary. Family-owned and operated for four generations, 7 Seas Whale Watch has worked from this very dock for over 70 years. We look forward to welcoming you aboard.
What You Could See on Your Whale Watch
GUARANTEED SIGHTINGS! The productive waters off Massachusetts are home to a variety of species of whales and other marine wildlife. Over our 45+ years in business we have a 99% success rate in finding whales. In the unlikely event you do not see a whale on your trip you will receive a voucher for a FREE whale watch that you can use anytime in the future.
Recent Sightings & Photos
Check out our Facebook feed for the latest sightings, photos, and updates from the water.
Recent Instagram Posts
Explore additional photography and video highlights from our whale watches on Instagram.
Departing from the Heart of Cape Ann
Located on Cape Ann, Gloucester’s historic working harbor provides one of the closest and best departure points for reaching the feeding grounds of Stellwagen Bank.
JUNE 12, 2026
The ocean couldn’t have been calmer today and the whales couldn’t have been better.
It seems every day we see something even more amazing than the day before.
Of the many video clips I could have picked from today’s whale watch I decided to post just these two:
The first of a whale named “3.14” (as in “Pi” but there’s another whale with that name) spy hopping next to our boat. This was no ordinary syphop… this was SUPER syphop!
The second is of our last look of the trip when a group of whales blew a huge bubble ring and came up feeding just off our starboard side. The whales then passed right beneath the bow before diving off the port.
During my trip wrap-up I asked people onboard to share their shots of these same two parts of the trip. I look forward to seeing what you got!!!
I wonder what tomorrow will bring? I bet it’s going to be something great… ... See MoreSee Less
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June 11, 2026
It was another spectacular day to be on the water with the whales (and DOLPHINS!).
Today also happened to be our naturalist Amanda’s birthday so I really wanted to get her a good trip to help make her birthday special.
I started by announcing to everyone onboard that it was her birthday during my crew introduction/safety talk at the beginning of the trip. Then something strange happened…
We were approached by two passengers onboard, both named Amanda, and both here to going whale watching for their birthday! That’s THREE Amandas all with the same birthday and all on the same boat! What are the chances of that?!
Well I’m happy to report we did, in fact, get a GREAT trip so I thew together this video as a present. All clips were taken today, June 11, 2026. Enjoy! And happy birthday, Amandas!
EDIT: I was informed after posting this video that we had a fourth birthday onboard today. Happy birthday LESLIE!!! ... See MoreSee Less
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June 10, 2026
We had to travel a few extra miles today but it was well-worth the effort. We again spent time with many humpback whales including 5 different mother-calf pairs and many adult whales that were traveling is large groups.
The calves were once again the highlight of the trip in many ways as they were playful and curious and spend a lot of time at the surface while the adults were down deep - most likely feeding.
We saw breaching from “Firefly's” calf, tail-breaching and tail-lobbing from “Milkweed’s” and had many close approaches from both Milkweed and “Firefly’s” calves.
We are still compiling a complete list of individuals seen today, but here are the humpbacks we know for sure we encountered on this trip:
Bolide and calf
Jabiru and calf
Milkweed and calf
A+ and calf
Firefly and calf
Jumanji
Leonid
Pele
Spell
Bridger
Tobogan
Universe
Sprinkles
Thank you to everyone who came out today for your adventurous spirit and especially your patience. I’m glad you were rewarded with such excellent sightings.
Here is today’s photos…
#whales #whalewatch #gloucester #massachusetts ... See MoreSee Less
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JUNE 9, 2026
It was a beautiful day on the ocean with calm seas, plenty of sunshine, lots of whales and lots of whale activity.
The calf of a whale named "Firefly" was the star of today's trip and most of the clips in this video are of him (we were able to determine this calf in male!). Also included is a shot of a whale named "Arcus" diving off the bow of our boat. The shot itself is rather ordinary but I had to include it just because of the gentleman with great hair (you'll see what I mean).
Stay tuned until the end for a distant but still mazing shot of one of the rarest of all whale surface activities!
There's no telling how much longer these great sightings will last, so if you have the chance NOW is the time to go looking for whales!
*All videos in this clip were taken today... 6/9/20026
**Set you player to 720 for best quality ... See MoreSee Less
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June 9, 2026
People have been messaging about "when will you be posting more videos of Scylla?!"
My apologies for taking so long... it's been a busy week. But here is a compilation of some of my better shots from June 6, 2026 and our special encounter with a humpback whale called "Scylla".
Feel free to add this video to your collection. I think they are some of my best breaching (and flittering) videos yet. I hope they were worth the wait... ... See MoreSee Less
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WHALE SIGHTINGS UPDATE ~ 6/8 ~ Happy World Oceans Day!
Today and this weekend we had some incredible trips on Stellwagen Bank, with HUMPBACK WHALES, SEABIRDS, and GRAY SEALS. I think these photos speak for themselves.
A World Oceans Day story: on Saturday afternoon's trip, we encountered a female humpback whale named Scylla putting on an impressive display of surface activity. Surface activity is rare, so watching her breach and repeatedly slap her flippers was an incredible experience. Then, on Sunday afternoon, our streak of luck continued. Another humpback whale repeatedly breached to end our trip. The whale? Hasselback, one of Scylla's previous calves.
So, on two consecutive days, in different locations, we witnessed rare surface activity from both a mother and her now adult son.
These encounters are a reminder of why healthy oceans matter. They allow whales like Scylla to find food, raise calves, and return year after year. By protecting places like Stellwagen Bank, we help ensure future generations of whales can thrive!
Humpback whales identified:
Spell
Sprinkles
Shuffleboard and calf
Scylla
Hasselback
Tear
Bolide and calf
Arcus
Toboggan
Schism
Colt
Thumper and calf
Milkweed and calf
A-plus and calf
3.14
Pele
Jabiru and calf
Rapier and calf
Firefly and calf
Leonid
Blackhole ... See MoreSee Less
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