Maine Whale Watching Tours

The waters of the Maine coast are a rich feeding ground for a large variety of whales, making sightings during the summer months almost guaranteed. So common are sightings off the coast of Maine that many whale watching cruise companies offer to fully refund any passengers who do not experience at least one sighting.Whale watching cruises are offered from numerous points along the Maine coast, though most depart from Bar Harbor.

The most abundant species of whales found off the coast of Maine are humpback whales, fin whales, minke whales, pilot whales and sei whales. Humpback whales usually offer the best experience for visitors, as their natural curiosity often brings them right up alongside cruise boats to playfully interact with humans. Humpbacks can also typically be heard singing long complex songs that they repeat continuously during the mating season.

Be sure to look out for groups of humpbacks executing their unique "bubble-netting" feeding technique, during which several humpbacks will come together and blow air through their blowholes in order to herd schools of small fish into a tight ball through which the whales then plunge.

Very endangered North Atlantic right whales and sperm whales can be sighted on rare occasions.