Beneath a patchwork sky of gulls and shifting clouds, a certain lady of the sea has made her mark across half the North Atlantic, leaving a trail of wonder and a sprinkle of curiosity wherever she goes. Folks in Newfoundland sometimes call her Ryan, though she’s not one for fishing lines or tall tales—she lets her journeys across the waves do the talking.
It all started on a bright August day off Horse Chops, where Ryan first made her presence known, sashaying past rocky outcrops as if she owned the coastline. Not one for dawdling, she zipped along the east coast, popping up in Catalina just days later, and then winding her way north to Green Bay. Each sighting fell like breadcrumbs, painting a lively route along the shores and harbours, until she completed her Newfoundland swing back off Horse Chops that same summer.
But Ryan’s story isn’t just a local yarn—she’s a true globetrotter. By the following May, she was spotted clear across the ocean, gracefully surfacing in Eyjafjörður, Iceland. Something about the North Atlantic seems to call her back and forth, like a well-practised dance step that only a seasoned migrator would know. She lingered there for a bit before vanishing back into the wide blue yonder.
Years drifted by with just a whisper of her—until July 2022, when she swam into Mobile Bay, then later made her show-stopping return to the southern shores at Witless Bay and Bay Bulls in 2024. This past July, she was seen again near Lower Cove Head, leaving many wondering where the tides would take her next.
Have you seen Ryan? Every sighting and photo adds a splash of colour to her story, filling in the gaps and helping us follow her incredible journeys across oceans. Share what you know—it’s how we piece together the mysteries of migration and life at sea, one whale at a time.
Fun Fact
The waters around Newfoundland and Labrador are a buffet for humpbacks, rich with capelin, herring, and krill—making the long trek to our shores well worth it.
Ryan’s Sightings
Off Horsechops, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
August 9, 2018
Catalina, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
August 14, 2018
In Green Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
August 17, 2018
Off Horsechops, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
August 21, 2018
This is Happywhale's real data for this whale. The story above was generated based on these details, and a few creative assumptions.
Share Ryan's Story
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By submitting to Happywhale, your sighting can become part of Ryan's data. Not only will it make their story richer for the next time they're spotted, but you'll become part of a global citizen science effort to better understand our oceans and the humpback whales that call them home.