Whale Watching

It keeps getting better!! We left the dock under exceptional conditions, cool comfortable weather, little wind, and unlimited visibility.  Within 5 nautical miles we found a massive group of several hundred inshore bottlenose dolphins. We stayed with them for a while and continued on our way. It took another hour before we saw whales breaching about 4 nautical miles ahead, once we got there we found 7 humpback whales, including some from our last trip. All seven were essentially moving as one, diving together, travelling together, feeding  near the bottom and returning to the surface together.  We know that humpbacks will cooperatively feed and often see that at the surface. Could they have been cooperatively feeding at depth? We’d like to think so. 7 Humpback whales 200+ Inshore bottlenose dolphins 36 Great Shearwaters 7 Cory’s Shearwaters 20 Wilson’s Storm Petrels

A truly HOLY S***T DAY! 3 species of cetaceans and hundreds of pelagic birds feeding on sand eels! Breaching, open-mouth feeding, flipper slapping, mom/calf pairs, associated groups – you name the humpback behavior, we saw it.  At one point, whales, pelagic birds and large striped bass were feeding together on the abundance of prey.  It might be easier to let the photos and videos speak for themselves. Our senior scientist/naturalist/educator, Dr. Artie Kopelman, was on-board, and 2 days later is still reviewing the over 700 photos and videos. They will be posted soon along with the ID’s of the whales. 14 humpbacks 2 minke whales 180 inshore bottlenose dolphins 300 Great shearwaters 75 Cory’s shearwaters 2 Sooty shearwaters

An absolutely majestic day aboard the Viking Starship today. We set sail under clear skies, calm seas, and unlimited visibility. An encounter with a hammerhead shark commenced our adventure, staying near (and long) enough at the surface for all to get a good look. Soon after, a small group of inshore bottlenose dolphins were spotted and enjoyed. As we searched for whales, several large pods of short-beaked common dolphins charged toward and surrounded the boat. A nursery made up of a dozen mother/calf pairs accompanied the large group which swam near, around, and beneath our vessel. A second hammerhead shark was spotted close by while a blow belonging to a humpback whale was observed in the distance. The whale began a series of tail slaps revealing the unique ‘snow white’ undersides of its flukes, which can be used to identify…

It just keeps getting better and better! 5 species of cetaceans and 6 species of pelagic girds on this trip Twenty minutes from the Lighthouse and about 4 miles away we found 80-100 inshore bottlenose dolphins chasing bait at the surface and diving to 75 feet for bait at the sea floor. We headed on our way and found our first whales about an hour later.  We saw 7 different humpback whales blow at the same time! WOW! It gets better – there were two mom/calf humpback pairs including Rune and her 2022 calf. No other humpback researchers knew that she had a calf until we found with her! We have yet to ID the 2nd mom.  The humpbacks were breaching, bubble feeding, open mouth feeding, flipper slapping! WOW! We also had at least 4 finback whales – 2 mom/calf…

Dolphins, pelagic birds, sharks, and a heartbreaking sight: a very ill humpback whale It’s a heat wave, but you can keep the heat and I’ll take the wave. There are few better ways to beat the heat than with a whale watch! The high heat and humidity on land gave way to cool offshore breezes….

No better way to beat the heat than with a whale watch! Comfortable breezes at sea were joined by dozens of small pods of short-beaked common dolphins throughout the voyage (200-250 total), including several mother/calf pairs and juveniles. Passengers listening closely at the bow could hear their clicks and whistles as the dolphins swam alongside…

This was one of our best local whale watch trips of the past 10 years!!   There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the trip. Suffice it to say that for most, it was the trip of a lifetime! We were surrounded by whales for a radius of several miles and we often saw the classic…

An excellent day on the water with 120 short-beaked common dolphins and loads of pelagic birds, and 6 phalaropes,  2 Wilson’s storm petrels. It was a beautiful afternoon on the Viking Starship. We had reports of whales nearshore and searched without success, we headed offshore and we encountered pelagic birds, Portuguese Man-o-Wars, and too many…

What a great day to be on the water! The weather was absolutely gorgeous with unlimited visibility and calm seas. We spent the first hour cruising near shore in search of whales. Soon, a blow was spotted by one of our volunteers and we observed a humpback whale casually swimming and diving in approximately 50 feet of water. Then things got exciting with a surprise breach in full view of passengers watching from the bow. Shoals of bunker (menhaden) were visible at the surface in about 32 feet of water and the whale moved into shallower water to feed. We knew something extraordinary was about to happen when the fish began leaping from the water followed immediately by the lunge-feeding humpback. At this same time, a minke whale was spotted on the other side of our vessel and was either…

Another three species day, but a long one The day started out with an Atlantic gray seal (Halichoerus grypus atlantica)feeding in the waters of Montauk Harbor right behind the Starship as we boarded passengers. Conditions were excellent as we headed out to the east where humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) had been spotted earlier in the day….