Sun Aug 4– Whale Watching – Viking Starship

What a great day! We first headed out towards Montauk Shoals to search for a young whale that was
seen earlier in the morning during a fishing trip. The juvenile humpback was spotted alongside a small
group of Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphin. As we waited for the whale to surface following a shallow
dive, we were treated to a massive and unexpected tail kick off our port side. We spent a little more
time here watching dolphins surf in some of the larger waves beyond our vessel before continuing south
in search of the adult humpbacks who have been spending time off Montauk this summer. As with many
other trips this season, we found them and in great abundance. Eight initial humpbacks turned into
twelve and then sixteen. Whales surrounded the vessel and many blows could be seen beyond. Not to
be outdone by the Olympics in Paris, one individual continuously lobtailed and then reverse-lobtailed,
lifting its tail stock high out of the water and slamming it down forward and then backward. Other
whales could be seen breaching in the distance and a young calf lifted its tail flukes out of the water as if
doing a ‘handstand’ underwater. There was a significant swell and it was magical to see whales appear
and then disappear within the waves. A small pod of short-beaked common dolphin swam powerfully
through the whales and waves to put the cherry on top of another amazing Sunday.
This season has been the best for CRESLI/Viking whale watches since 1996! Whether it is your first or
fifteenth time, join us and tell your friends. These experiences are way too incredible not to share.

17-20 humpback whales
12-20 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins
20-30 short-beaked common dolphins
40-60 Cory’s shearwaters
30-40 great shearwaters
10-12 sooty shearwaters
30-50 Wilson’s storm petrels