Sun Aug 24 – Whale Watching

Only two days after Hurricane Erin stirred up nearly 20-ft seas off Montauk, we headed off unsure of
what we may or may not encounter. Shortly after steaming beyond the inlet, we encountered a small
pod of Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphin, a species we typically find much closer to the open ocean
beyond the Point. We continued on after a short stop and found a humpback whale just a couple of
miles southwest of Camp Hero State Park. We spent time with this whale, a juvenile, which would
surface every three to four minutes, likely feeding on bait detected near the bottom. We eventually
headed east where humpback and finback whales were spotted the day prior. Almost immediately,
more Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins were spotted, in small groups at first, not exceeding 20-30
individuals per pod. This continued for a few miles of transit with the pod size and pelagic bird sightings
increasing along the way. We passed through the area where whales were seen the day before without
any sightings so continued east where whales and dolphins were documented throughout the season.
Unfortunately, the area was barren so we circled back and searched familiar areas again. Shearwaters
(Cory’s and Great, mostly) and Wilson’s storm petrels were abundant, but no whales would be found. A
large splash made likely by a humpback whale was observed by one of our sharp-eyed volunteers at
least a few miles away and we headed in that direction to check it out. Unfortunately, despite keen eyes
and eager passengers keeping watch, the whale was never seen and it was time to return home.
Thankfully, we enjoyed good sightings earlier in the trip and a beautiful sunset upon our return, but this
was a reminder of the dynamic nature of the ocean and the animals within.
1 humpback whale
100-120 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphin
160-200 great shearwaters
60-80 Cory’s shearwaters
1 sooty shearwater
1 Manx shearwater
180-220 Wilson’s storm petrels