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Sun July 5 – Whale Watching

MTK Whale Watching is HOT!

The heat wave on land may be finally breaking, but Montauk whale watching is ON FIRE right now! We started our trip with a surprise appearance by an adult gray seal swimming next to the boat as we were transiting out of the harbor. We headed south toward the feeding grounds where so many whales and dolphins were encountered on Friday’s trip. Along the way, we found sporadic small pods of Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins, which we paused to enjoy, before traveling on. Eventually, blows in a variety of directions were observed and we found ourselves in the company of a finback whale, one of over a dozen in the area. Humpback whales broke the surface as they kicked- and open mouth- fed on the abundant bait in the water column. The enormity of the event was evidenced by pods of charging common dolphins swimming alongside the fin and humpback whales, and frequently approaching our vessel affording passengers excellent views. Here and there, a minke whale would appear in the mix of the other cetaceans. It was hard knowing where to look as the whales and dolphins (and all the excitement) surrounded the Viking Starship. It was a privilege to experience these animals on such an enormous scale. And birders onboard delighted in the array of pelagic species along with four south polar skuas also documented. Let us take you out on our next adventure – you do not want to miss this!

1 gray seal

12-14 finback whales

5-6 humpback whales

2-3 minke whales

120-160 short-beaked common dolphin

20-26 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphin

30-40 Cory’s shearwaters*

80-140 great shearwaters*

20-40 sooty shearwaters*

20-40 Wilson’s storm petrels*

4 south polar skuas

*bird counts are conservative estimates based on confirmed sightings by naturalist only

Whale tail emerging from ocean water, creating splashes. Group of dolphins leaping through ocean waves. Fin whale surfacing in the ocean with birds flying overhead. Whale surfacing near a flying bird in the ocean. Humpback whale head and mouth above ocean surface. Humpback whale breaching ocean surface with visible bumps on head. Dolphin leaping out of water with splash. Whale partially emerging from ocean surface. Humpback whale with mouth open in ocean water. A whale with an open mouth partially above the ocean surface.

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