While most are amazed by the sublime, majestic nature of whales, a small, paranoid minority wonders what would happen to mankind if whales had legs. Worship or worry as you see fit with today's Groupon: for $25, you get one ticket to see tons of marine mammals from Cape Ann Whale Watch (a $45 value) in Gloucester, about 40 minutes away from Boston. Your Groupon is good for most of the 2010 watching season. This deal expires October 31, 2010.

Cape Ann Whale Watch shoves off from Gloucester, where it has served more than 600,000 customers during its more than 30 years of service. Bring sunscreen, sunglasses, a camera, sweater or jacket, and gym shoes (it gets brisk on the high seas) for your journey aboard the largest and fastest Gloucester whale-watching vessel north of Boston, the Hurricane II. Tour-goers often see humpback, minke, and finback whales, as well as the occasional dolphin. Your tour narrator, a salt-crusted member of the Ocean Alliance, will point out each whale, try to strike up a conversation with it, and totally get shot down.

A whale watch makes a great family outing—your kids may even prefer whales to playing Endless Ocean on their Wii. Buy up to 15 Groupons for an entire Boy or Girl Scout Troop to have the ultimate nature trip. A whale watch also makes a great date, as the whales' tranquil moans are a far smoother soundtrack than any of the four volumes of Barry White Sings Whale Songs.

While Cape Ann Whale Watch offers no promise of a Geppetto experience, you are guaranteed to catch a glimpse of these majestic beasts’ sleek posteriors, or you will receive a free season pass and your captain will be fed to the whales.

This Groupon is not valid for the 1:30 p.m. sailing time on Saturdays and Sundays in July and August. Seats are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so call ahead and reserve your seat.

Reviews

TripAdvisors give Cape Ann Whale Watch 4.5 owl eyes, and five Yelpers give it a five-star average:

• We saw 15 humpback whales, with lots of breaching, tail slapping, and close-to-the-boat views. It was absolutely breath-taking. The boat (Hurricane II) was roomy, comfortable, and clean. The sailing was smooth (despite choppy seas). – remartn, TripAdvisor
• ...we sure got our money's worth! We saw several whales…The crew, by the way, gave great narration of the whales and indicated where they were seeing them around the boat from their lookout. There were four interns on board who walked around with different artifacts and whale information. My nine year old daughters had a great time. – missmybid, TripAdvisor
• Cape Ann Whale Watch is by far the best! After going whale watching in New England for more than a decade, we have found them to be consistently the happiest, hardest-working, and most experienced group of people that we have known. We have tried others, but now go out exclusively with Cape Ann. They are topnotch! – HumpbackWhalewatcher, TripAdvisor