Whale Watching

Another trip with whales (our 123rd consecutive trip since July 14, 20219)! Well summer is over and the whales are still around (as were the gray seals in Montauk  Harbor). Within about 15 minutes of passing Montauk Point, we found our 1st juvenile humpback whale, the first of ultimately 5. On a blustery, sometimes chilly…

This trip was a gift. The weather was warm like a summer’s day, but with Labor Day two weeks behind us, it felt better than usual. The mood on board was sweet and grateful. We found dolphins (Tamanend’s bottlenose) early, and then spent time with two juvenile humpback whales within a few miles from shore. We decided to continue heading offshore hoping to find the large adults which we spent time with most of the season. As we approached, blows lit up the horizon like (to quote one of our volunteers) fireworks in a summer’s sky. Here, we encountered 16-18 humpbacks, including at least two calves. The calves rested at the surface until breaking into a breach, roll-over, head-stand, and/or tail throw. The adults were in associated pairs and trios surfacing and diving synchronously, feeding on dense patches of bait…

Another trifecta trip (humpback whales, minke whales, and Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins!   On this somber day, in the back of our minds were the friends, schoolmates, neighbors, first responders, and the endless  work of volunteers clearing those hallowed grounds at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Shanksville PA. On this day, as a way of thinking about the inter-relatedness of all life on this planet, we went out to look for whales and dolphins. We found them, as we have done now on 110 consecutive trips since July 14, 2020.  A beautiful, flat calm trip with unlimited visibility made the long trip sell worth it. We found humpback whales that breached (briefly), chin-slapped, lob-tailed, flipper slapped, and logged (slept). We had triads and tetrads of humpback whales come over to watch us watching them.  For the most part, the…

It was a beautiful, crisp day to search for whales and dolphins. Although we originally planned to head offshore, our plans were interrupted by a blow belonging to a juvenile humpback whale not far from shore beyond the lighthouse. While waiting for this individual to surface, two additional blows were spotted, and we were suddenly treated to a close approach by the first whale immediately ahead of our bow allowing great views by everyone near the front of the vessel. While we then planned to investigate the additional two whales (also humpbacks), a large splash drew us to a fourth humpback which was breaching and flipper slapping nearby. We spent time with this whale before seeing even more splashing from a fifth individual approximately a mile away. We headed towards the activity watching this single whale breach 19 consecutive times…

  Whales nearshore and offshore. Our incredible season continues!   What a day we had. The seas were flat, sun was bright, and the temperatures were comfortably cool. Our 1st humpback, named Chive, who we’d not seen in 2 years was breached within about 60 feet of our bow and was within 5 miles of…

Another Sunday on the ocean with lots of whales!   We keep finding whales! Sunday, September 1, 2024 was no exception. The weather was a bit cloudy but we had a full vessel, and we headed out. Early on, shortly after we pass by the lighthouse we encountered a small group of Tamenend’s bottlenose dolphins….

Another Sunday on the ocean with lots of whales! We keep finding whales! Sunday, September 1, 2024 was no exception. The weather was a bit cloudy but we had a full vessel, and we headed out. Early on, shortly after we pass by the lighthouse we encountered a small group of Tamenend’s bottlenose dolphins. We stayed with these dolphins for a short while and then headed offshore. Regardless of the rain, and the seas, as we have done on all of our trips this year, we found humpback whales! Ultimately identifying 18 different individuals including some new ones and some of the moms and calves we’ve seen since early July. As I write this report, I’m still identifying individuals by looking at their flukes, and/or dorsal fin, and/or scars. It takes time to meticulously go through all of the photos…

Although Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, it most certainly did not herald the end of our stellar whale watching season! For starters, dolphins were seen leaping behind the boat as we turned out of the jetty just a few short minutes after leaving the dock. We encountered a few more as we headed south towards the feeding grounds, coming upon a single humpback whale a couple of miles from shore. This whale, likely a juvenile, was traveling far underwater between surface intervals which made viewing difficult, so we decided to continue south in hope of more whales and better views and we were not disappointed. Blow after blow after blow signaled the presence of at least a dozen whales, which were moving in groups of two, three, and four around the vessel. A calf, which we have…

For the last trip of August, the whales (and waves) had us working a bit harder than usual, reminding us of the changing seasons and the fortunes previously bestowed upon us throughout this summer. We headed south towards the general area where the humpbacks have previously been encountered, but there were no whales to be found. We did enjoy views of Cory’s and Great shearwaters, and of Wilson storm petrels flying and hunting while we searched. Winds made spotting of blows difficult so we didn’t find the whales until we were much closer to them than usual (less than half a mile) but that was when we realized that not only did we find them, there were 8-10 to be found! These were all humpbacks, at first moving quickly in all directions around and beyond the vessel. Capt. JR expertly…

Whales are still around, a bit spread out   We heard of some humpback whales close to shore and decided to look for a bit before heading further out where we’ve been seeing them for weeks. Near shore we did find a group of about 30-40 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins. Offshore we headed into the waves…