Mon July 28 – Whale Watching

Yesterday’s trip was punctuated with sightings from the start, and not limited to cetaceans. Our first-of-
the-season sighting of bunker (Atlantic menhaden), an extremely important prey fish for a myriad of
marine predators, kicked off our departure past the lighthouse. And not surprisingly, shortly thereafter,
we encountered a large pod of Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphin. The pod was separated into two distinct
groups, each consisting of tightly-packed individuals including adults, juveniles, and a few neonates
(newborns) diving and surfacing together, with occasional tail slaps on the surface. While the sighting
was invigorating, we decided to use our time wisely and continue east where baleen whales were seen
on previous trips. As we transited, the sea boiled almost continuously with bait fish and occasional tuna,
before the largest thing of all broke the surface behind us: a submarine! A possible spinner shark
spiraled above the water while great and Cory’s shearwater and Wilson’s storm petrel sightings
persisted. Our search brought us east of Block Island before returning northwest when numerous blows,
belonging to at least six humpback whales, were excitedly investigated. While waiting for the whales to
resurface, Bombay, a female who spent nearly the entire summer off Montauk with a calf last season
breached immediately ahead of our vessel. Then the magic continued with whales popping up alongside
the vessel and one particularly memorable close approach by Mostaza, the 25-year old daughter of Salt.
Even more exciting? Our second mom/calf pair of the season was confirmed when Pickle, a whale
encountered off Montauk three other seasons, was seen swimming closely with a calf. We saw Pickle
eight times over 53 days in 2024, so knowing now that she was pregnant – and returning now as a
nursing mother – speaks volumes of the nourishment this area can provide to this species. The
enchantment culminated in a rare and beautiful approach by the quintet alongside our vessel, resting
and breathing at the surface, affording everyone incredible views (and sounds) and ultimately wrapping
up another tremendous day on the water.
CRESLI proudly contributes to the Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale Catalog curated by the Center for
Coastal Studies out of Provincetown, MA. (https://coastalstudies.org/our-work/humpback-whale-
research/gulf-of-maine/gom-humpback-catalog/)
7-8 humpbacks, including Bombay, Mostaza, Pickle and her 2025 calf, and Scylla’s 2024 calf
70-100 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphin
40-50 great shearwater
20-30 Cory’s shearwater
60-80 Wilson’s storm petrels