The distinctive fluke of a humpback, one of several whale species likely to delight whale watchers out of Boston Harbor. Photo by Flickr user Isaac Kohane

There’s no need to venture to the North Shore or Cape Cod to spend a few hours in the company of whales this summer. You can get close to the Atlantic’s gentle giants from comfortably appointed boats right out of Boston Harbor.

Both the New England Aquarium and Boston Harbor Cruises offer three- to four-hour outings on sleek catamarans, with expert commentary from whale researchers who know their finbacks from their minkes. Equipped with several viewing decks, the boats leave the harbor destined for Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, a teeming marine habitat and rich feeding ground for whales as well as dolphins at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay, between Cape Ann and Cape Cod.

In these waters whale watchers are likely to see humpback whales, iconic for their tail-up acrobatic breaching, whose length can span up to 55 feet, as well as finbacks, which can be as long as 80 feet. Watchers might also catch a glimpse of smaller (up to 30 feet long) minke whales slicing the water, and perhaps even get a look at the rare North Atlantic right whale, a stocky, mostly black creature up to 60 feet long.

Tickets are $36 for students with a valid college ID and for seniors, $40 for adults, and $32 for children. Boston Harbor Cruises whale watch guides are researchers from the Whale Center of New England, and the company’s high-speed catamarans operate out of Long Wharf. Guiding passengers on the Aquarium-sponsored whale watches, out of Boston’s Central Wharf, are staff naturalists and educators. Both whale watch operators’ summer schedules offer two to four trips daily, with sunset cruises on weekends and holidays. The boats sell food and offer comfortable indoor space. But all the action is on the observation decks, with the chorus of oohs and aahs familiar to anyone who has experienced the thrill of seeing a whale close enough to feel the splash of its weight on the water.

Schedules and ticket info for New England Aquarium whale watches are here.

Schedules and ticket info for Boston Harbor Cruises whale watches can be found here.

To get to both Long Wharf and Central Wharf by MBTA, take the Green Line to Government Center, transfer to the Blue Line outbound, and get off at Aquarium.

Susan Seligson can be reached at sueselig@bu.edu.