When the world still slumbers through icy February, most folks in Newfoundland are dreaming of escape from winter winds, but Esker has a different idea. Far, far south where the water’s lively and warm, this wise old female finds her place under the sun—her journeys a quiet reminder that the North Atlantic is more connected than we sometimes remember.
Esker first caught a soul’s attention off Silver Bank in the Dominican Republic during February of 2005, where soft blue waters roll gentle as lullabies. Then, with a rare sense of timing and patience, she cut north with the blooming summer, resurfacing in July 2009 among the bustling seabird colonies of Witless Bay. It must've been quite the journey, swapping coral for kelp and turquoise for slate-grey waves.
Almost a decade later, in August of 2018, Esker found her way into Trinity Bight twice, as if the peace of those shores called her back. The headlands echoed with the happy cries of capelin and kittiwake, and for those brief days, she was part of the summer chorus—her fluke carving stories into the misty air.
February came round again in 2019, and there she was: Silver Bank’s embrace welcomed her once more. But true wonder came in 2022! Esker popped up way up in the wild, chilly waters near Greenland in August, and a month later she was back by Fogo Island, Newfoundland—her travels like a dotted thread on a sailor’s map. By March of 2025, Esker had drifted southwest of Bermuda, ever restless, ever curious, charting her own course through familiar and uncharted blue.
Each sighting hints at a larger story—a map unfinished, an adventure that could cross your very path.
Have you seen Esker? If you have, your sighting could breathe new life into her story, helping us unravel the secrets of her long migrations and fill in the blanks between her stops. Every submitted photo or tale helps expand what we know about these remarkable journeys.
Humpback whales like Esker can live for over 50 years, crossing entire oceans during their long lives.
Silver Bank
February 7, 2005
Witless Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
July 20, 2009
Trinity Bight, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
August 16, 2018
Trinity Bight, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
August 19, 2018
This is Happywhale's real data for this whale. The story above was generated based on these details, and a few creative assumptions.
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