Wed Aug 5 – Whale Watching

Jaw-dropping bubble-feeding events all around the Viking Starship
Having gotten to bed late last night from one of the most mind-blowing whale watches in my lifetime, I
figured I would wake up to find that it was all a dream, but alas, it was not! The humpbacks continue to
occur in large numbers offshore of Montauk. After initially spotting a few rogue blows, we found dozens
of humpback whales cooperatively bubble net feeding in all directions around the boat. Humpbacks
working together in groups of 2-6 blew bubbles underwater in circular patterns to corral and trap the
abundant sand eels from 50 feet down towards the surface where the whales erupted with open
mouths, feasting on the bounty. Many of the humpbacks seen are repeat visitors to the area, from both
previous years and earlier this season, including a few moms with calves in tow. Sitting safely out of
gear, we watched as whales by the dozens fed and surfaced continuously around our vessel, with an
occasional breach or lobtailing event adding to the excitement. The action continued for two hours on
the feeding grounds, with CRESLI scientists documenting both the activity and the individual humpback
whales encountered. The dedicated birders on board were thrilled to find hundreds of shearwaters
within close proximity and feeding amongst the whales for a perfect day on the water. Passengers could
not have experienced better weather and whale conditions if we had planned this for years. This has
been a season for the record books; word is out and the boats are filling, so plan your trip with us today
to see the spectacle while it lasts.
CRESLI and Viking are proud partners of WhaleSENSE and support ethical and responsible whale
watching.
32-48 humpbacks
10-16 minke whales
80-120 short-beaked common dolphins
1-2 finback whales
Hundreds of Cory’s and great shearwaters, dozens of sooty shearwaters and Wilson’s storm petrels