Sun Aug 16 – Whale Watching
More Minke Mania and Calf Capers!
Our trip today took us approximately 12 miles southeast of Montauk under clear skies and calm seas. As
we approached our destination, we could see a breaching humpback from over a mile away, and knew
we were in for something special. The breaching continued as we neared the young whale, a 2026 calf of
a whale named Zeppelin (MTK0241), who was seen off Montauk during 2024 and was also encountered
aboard yesterday’s trip. The calf alternated between breaching, flipper-slapping, lobtailing, and tail-
throwing to the delight of passengers. Knowing that these behaviors are used by humpbacks to
communicate with each other, and realizing that this young whale was a calf, it was no surprise when
mom showed up, and the two swam side-by-side and dove in tandem. With mom likely feeding at
depth, the calf would surface in about half the time, hanging out at the surface, often near our vessel,
before diving down again and reappearing with Zeppelin. This went on for a while as two other
humpbacks were spotted in the area along with two large finback whales seen from a distance. Then the
minkes showed up; at least a dozen minkes surfaced next to our vessel, many appearing to “surf”
through the waves and making close (intentional) approaches to the Viking Starship as we sat safely out
of gear awaiting the humpbacks to surface (or watching them as they appeared directly next to our
vessel). The proximity of the whales made this an exceptional and very memorable experience for
everyone onboard. This has been an incredible season and Zeppelin and her calf mark the 15 th confirmed
mom/calf pair documented off Montauk in 2026! CRESLI and Viking Fleet are proud partners of Whale
SENSE and adhere to all recommended and required guidelines for ethical and responsible whale
watching. Today was a testament to the magic that can unfold while observing passively and patiently.
Days are getting shorter and only four weeks remain in the season. Book your trip with us today!
4 humpback whales
2 finback whales
12-16 minke whales
Hundreds of Wilson’s storm petrels
100-200 great and Cory’s shearwater; at least 1 sooty shearwater