Whale Watching Gloucester Stellwagen Bank Guaranteed Sightings

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/6

Duration4h

GroupUp to 240

Mobile ticketAccepted

See humpback, fin and minke whales on their feeding grounds 12 miles offshore.

This whale watching tour departs Gloucester for Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, a World Wildlife Fund-ranked top-five whale watching destination, aboard the Hurricane II—a 115-foot vessel with upper and lower observation decks and a heated indoor cabin. A professional naturalist guide leads the four-hour trip, and the boat's speed gets you to the whales' feeding grounds faster than competitors, leaving more time for observation. Arrive 45 minutes early to park and board.

The Experience

The Hurricane II is the largest and fastest whale watching vessel in Massachusetts, which changes the math of the day. While other boats spend hours traveling to Stellwagen Bank, this one covers the 12 miles to the feeding grounds with enough speed to get you there and back quickly—leaving the bulk of your four hours actually watching whales instead of crossing open water. A professional naturalist rides along to identify what you're seeing: humpback, fin, minke, sei, sperm and northern right whales all migrate to this stretch of coast, along with Atlantic white-sided dolphins and harbor porpoises.

The boat itself is built for comfort in unpredictable weather. The upper and lower observation decks give you over 400 feet of railing to spread out along, so you're not crammed shoulder-to-shoulder. Below deck, a heated cabin with a full galley serves hot meals and snacks (at your own expense), and there's a bar stocked with local beer and wine if you want to settle in while watching from inside. The crew stays in radio contact with other vessels to track where the whales are feeding, so the Hurricane II will chase sightings across the North Shore or South Shore—wherever the animals have moved that day.

Dress for the ocean: wind and spray are part of the experience, and conditions change fast. You'll need to arrive 45 minutes before departure to handle parking, check-in and boarding. The tour runs four hours total, and while the reference content guarantees whale sightings, the specific species and number you see depends on migration patterns and the day's conditions.

What’s included

Professional naturalist guide.
heated indoor cabin with full galley serving hot meals and snacks.
upper and lower observation decks with over 400 feet of railing.
bar with local beer, wine and mixed drinks (at your own expense).

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditions

Operated by Cape Ann Whale Watch

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you're visiting Gloucester for an afternoon and want to spend most of your time watching whales rather than traveling to reach them—the Hurricane II's speed and size mean you get to the feeding grounds and back faster than other operators, leaving the bulk of your four hours on the water with the animals.