Wed August 12 – Whale Watching
Humpback moms and calves in action!
Under clear skies and cool ocean breezes, the Viking Starship headed east in search of the whales that
have been in the region all summer, but have recently spread out as bait has also been on the move. We
passed beautiful Block Island on calm seas before investigating a spout a few miles from the island. As
we moved in the direction of the blow, a breach was observed to our right so we changed direction to
investigate. The breaching continued as a calf rocketed to the surface numerous times in partial
breaches, chin slaps, pectoral flipper slapping, and tail throws. Mom stayed alongside at the surface,
before both dived down, leaving us waiting for more. After a couple of minutes, the calf surfaced, but
without mom. The calf hung out at the surface near our vessel, completing short (2-5 minute) dives,
always popping back up not far from the Starship. Mom, on the other hand, was likely feeding on the
rich bait detected at depth and would surface every 12-13 minutes. When she did, the calf was always at
her side; perhaps she is teaching the young whale how to feed at depth. This went on for a few surface
intervals, and was extremely tender to take in. The sheer size difference between mom (a whale named
“Nimbus” who was previously documented off Montauk in 2023), and her 2026 calf, was an incredible
sight, but hearing the difference in their blows was also amazing. These two whales were not bothered
by our presence at all and gave us glimpses into the lives of a mom and her calf, born in Caribbean
waters this winter, in the feeding grounds of the north. Short-beaked common dolphins were nearby
and approached the vessel on multiple occasions, passing alongside and underneath the bow to the
excitement of the passengers. It was time to head home, having traveled 16-18 miles from shore, but
along the way, two additional blows were observed and investigated. These blows belonged to another
mom/calf pair; humpback whale “Ribs” and her 2026 calf. Ribs was here with a calf in 2024! We enjoyed
the encounter with these ‘bonus whales’ and steamed home. Along the way, additional humpbacks
were observed nearshore along with Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins under a glorious summer sunset.
Even a large gray seal was seen swimming alongside our vessel upon our return to dock.
Every experience with CRESLI and Viking Fleet is unique; join us on our next adventure!
7-9 humpback whales
1 minke whale
60-80 short-beaked common dolphins
Uncounted number of Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins
60-90 great shearwaters
30-50 Cory’s shearwaters
30-50 Wilson’s storm petrels