Island Quest Whale and Wildlife Cruises

02/07/2025

Right Whale Calf #9 (🩵!) has been spotted off the coast of Amelia Island, Florida with mom ‘Cahsew’. This is Cashews third calf, her last calf was born in 2015!

Be safe mom and baby! 🙏🩵

02/05/2025

The 8th Right Whale Calf has been spotted with mom ‘Accordion’, named for the propeller scars that run down her back. 🩵

Be safe mom and little one! 🩵🩵🙏

Say "hello" to our 8th North Atlantic right whale mom-calf pair of the season! 👋🏽

This week, Accordion (Catalog #4150) was seen by Northeast Fisheries Science Center in New York waters with her first-ever calf. This new mom is ~15 years old, and was first seen in 2011 at only a few years old. She received her name based on the distinct propeller marks on her back that resemble the musical instrument.

Accordion and her calf mark the 8th mom-calf pair sighting of the 2024-2025 calving season. Stay up to date on this year’s calving season with information curated by our Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life right whale scientists: https://bit.ly/49ekQnz

📸: NOAA Fisheries, taken under NOAA permit 27066

02/02/2025

Warm summer days spent along the shorelines of the Bay of Fundy surrounded by our iconic Lighthouses is only a couple months away. We are fully immersed in Canadian winter and dreaming of those long summer days!

Have you ever wanted a Bay of Fundy Print? We hope you'll check these out: https://fundyboutique.etsy.com 🙏🩵

01/27/2025

Not a well known phenomenon in the area, New Brunswick and Maine experience small (and sometimes large) tremors. Thankfully, there is no risk from this one that occurred 45 miles SW of Portland, Maine.

The largest recorded earthquake in New Brunswick was a 5.7 magnitude which hit Miramichi in 1982!

01/22/2025

Clear and cold but still beautiful in St. Andrews by-the-sea.. winter has arrived but we are loving the snow and morning sea smoke. Stay warm everyone!

T-122 days until whale season - have you booked your seats yet? 🐋🦭🦈🦅

www.IslandQuestMarine.com, celebrating 28 years as St. Andrews family owned and operated whale watching and fishing company.

12/31/2024

✨ Right Whale babies #4 and #5 have been spotted with moms! What amazing news to end 2024 with!

‘Two new right whale calves were sighted by aerial survey teams on December 30, 2024! Catalog #3503 ‘Caterpillar’ and #3540 ‘Blackheart’ were both sighted off the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTMNERR) in Ponte Vedra, FL.

Catalog #3503 ‘Caterpillar’ is 20 years old, and this is her first calf. Catalog #3540 ‘Blackheart’ is also 20 years old, and this is her second calf. She last gave birth 12 years ago during the 2013 calving season. Recall, Caterpillar and Blackheart were sighted in the Southeast U.S. calving grounds earlier this winter. Both females were identified as ‘potential mothers’ and have been in the area for about a month.

On December 18, 2024, researchers off Virginia spotted Catalog #4540 with the third calf of the season. Catalog #4540 is 12 years old, and this is her first calf.

Right whales have been sighted all along the Eastern Seaboard in recent weeks. Low visibility and windy conditions can hamper research efforts locally, sometimes for extended periods of time. Boaters are encouraged to check for sightings in their area, but to also post a lookout and always use caution, particularly in reduced visibility (fog), low light, and rough seas. Please report right whale sightings to 1-877-WHALE-HELP (877-942-5343) or to the USCG on VHF Ch. 16. Right Whale Sightings: https://whalemap.org/‘

12/27/2024

🌤️ A cold December morning in little l’etete passage with sea smoke engulfing the deer island ferry. We hope everyone’s holiday season has been filled with love.

Lots of love from the Island Quest family - Chris, Carolyn, Nicole and Hannah 💚❤️

12/18/2024

The burps, barks and snorts humpback whales make when asking their mother for milk are the first recorded instances of begginglike behavior in a baleen whale

12/10/2024

✨Right Whale Calf #2!!

✨Right whale Catalog #2430 ‘Minus One’ and her newborn calf on December 9, 2024, off Amelia Island in Florida. This, plus a pair of adult females seen near Mayport, are the first verified sightings of right whales off Florida this winter! Catalog #2430 is at least 31 years old, and this is her fourth calf. She last gave birth four years ago during the 2021 calving season.

Hoping for safety to all our migrating whales and babies! 💙

12/07/2024

✨ It’s a sunny brisk day in beautiful St. Andrews by-the-Sea! The Island Quest Christmas elves have been busy adding new local handmade holiday items, local jewelry, stuffies, Swedish dishcloths, ornaments and so much more!

✨ Visit the St. Andrews Farmers' Market, Inc at SJDA, stop over across the square at The Wee Fabric Shop, grab a coffee from Lumberjacks Cafe and enjoy everything Christmas by-the-Sea has to offer! ❄️🎄☃️✨

12/06/2024

✨ Christmas by-the-Sea kicks off tomorrow and we’re so excited to see everyone’s smiling faces! With so much going on in St. Andrews by-the-Sea, there’s going to be so much festive fun! 🎄🎄

❄️ Our Island Quest shop will be open 10:00 am -4:00 pm tomorrow and we are fully stocked with nautical decor, locally made art and crafts, handmade Christmas cards, ornaments and so much more! ☃️

11/30/2024

✨ Sparkle by the sea has started and it’s a gorgeous day here in St. Andrews! Local wood carving in the square, shops and restaurants are open - we hope you make St. Andrews part of your Saturday plans!

❄️ We’re open from 10:00am - 5:00pm with lots of local handmade items for that special someone! Drop in at 205 Water Street (yellow building left of Market Wharf) to say hello! See you all soon! 😁🎄

11/29/2024

❄️ Tomorrow is the first day of our annual Nautical Christmas Sale! Hope you enjoy a small sneak peek!! 😁🎄🎄

❄️ We’ve got lots of gorgeous locally handmade gifts, nautical crafts and décor!

❄️ Join us from 10:00am - 5:00pm for Christmas by-the-Sea. We look forward to getting into the holiday spirit with you all!! ❤️💚

Vicki Hogarth
New Brunswick / Nouveau-Brunswick
St. Andrews by-the-Sea

11/28/2024

🦃 It's a new RIGHT WHALE baby for American Thanksgiving! Learn more about the new mom and the other pregnant females below! Wishing these critically endangered whales health and safety for themselves and their new born babies! 💙🙏💙🙏

🐳'Catalog #3540 ‘Black Heart’ is 20 years old. She had her first and only calf 12 years ago during the 2013 season. Catalog #3940 ‘Koala,’ a 16-year-old female, and #4190 ‘Curlew,’ a 14-year-old female, have not successfully calved yet and would be first-time mothers. There are approximately 70 reproductively active females in the North Atlantic right whale population. Recent trends in calving include fewer first-time mothers, older first-time mothers, and more resting years between births. This means that each female is producing fewer calves over her lifetime. Recruitment of new mothers into the population is expected and is essential for population growth. However, sightings of first-time mothers have been sparse since 2016 – around the start of the right whale Unusual Mortality Event (UME). '

11/20/2024

🎄 The countdown is on for Sparkle by-the-sea and Christmas by-the-Sea.

❄️ The Island Quest Christmas elves have been busy decorating and preparing to see all the wonderful visitors for the weekends fun events!
With handmade crafts, local artists, nautical Christmas and decor, clothing and so much more!

November 30th 10:00am - 5:00pm
December 7th 10:00am - 3:00pm
December 14th 1:00pm - 5:00pm

11/17/2024

🌤️ Red sky at night, sailors delight!

🏠 11 years ago with this iconic view! Time sure does fly and we are looking forward to 2025, year 27 for our small family business! 😁

🔥 Red sky at night… sailors delight!

🏠 A view of the Island Quest office exactly 10 years ago today! Time sure does fly! We cannot wait to welcome you back in 2024. 😁😁😁