Mon Sept 7 – Whale Watching

It was an absolutely beautiful day to spend the holiday on the water! With sunny skies, excellent
visibility, and refreshing breezes, we headed out along the shore following reports of whales near the
shore. We found our first whale early, a juvenile humpback off the town of Montauk, in 50 feet of water.
The whale was likely feeding at depth completing high fluking dives and long down times. A blow
belonging to a second whale was observed in the distance so after spending some time with the first
one, we headed out to investigate the second. On our way, one of our volunteers spotted a pod of
dolphins to our side, so we changed course to check them out. The dolphins, Tamanend’s bottlenose,
were broken up into two large groups, totally 70-90 individuals. After enjoying some time with them, we
continued on in search of the second whale a few miles from shore and were successful. This whale, also
a juvenile, is one that has been seen on two previous trips, and is the 2020 calf of a humpback known in
the Gulf of Maine to our north (“Milkweed”). This juvenile was exhibiting longer and longer dive times,
and although it did a bit of flipper slapping, we decided to check out reports of another whale off Ditch
Plains to our north. Assuming it might be the first whale we spent time with, we were pleasantly
surprised to find a third juvenile humpback, who had been seen off the coast of NJ by our colleagues at
Gotham Whale, just a week earlier. We spent the last of our available time with this whale which was
exhibiting high-fluking dives and only two-minute (or less) dive times. Nearby a boat was cruising
through the water at full speed into the direction that the whale surfaced. Already showcasing a deep
prop scar from a previous collision with a vessel, this whale repeatedly performed dramatic tail throws
as if to tell the boat to SLOW DOWN, which it did. The whale then moved adjacent to our vessel and
began lob-tailing and inverse lob-tailing while belly-up at the surface. As a form of communication, it
was not surprising when our second whale soon appeared nearby. We also enjoyed sightings of a shark
and minke whale nearby. Alas, it was time to return to port, ending another great day on the water.

Happy Labor Day!
Only one week remains. Book your trip with us today!

3 humpback whales
1 minke whale
70-90 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins
1 shark of unknown species