Watching Whales

What to expect and what to bring?

By: Arthur H. Kopelman, Ph.D.


Watching Whales


Latest CRESLI whale watching trip information and reports:


The Viking Fleet and CRESLI are proud participants in the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Whale SENSE program. This voluntary program ensures that participating whale watch companies comply with NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic whale watching guidelines to prevent harassment of marine mammals. This includes slowing down, managing our time near whales and dolphins, and alerting NOAA of any entangled, ship struck, injured or diseased whales encountered. We are thrilled to be Whale SENSE’s 50th partner and promoting responsible whale watching and stewardship of the marine environment.

Humpback named Angus and her 2024 calf

WHALE WATCHING FOR SUMMER 2025

CRESLI and the Viking Fleet have scheduled trips from late June through September

 


We are the only crew with over 39 years of whale watching experience AND professors/scientists as trip leaders. Come away with great memories, great photos and videos, and an education about whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and marine life that is second-to-none.

 

The Viking Fleet vessels are equipped with clean restrooms, comfortable seating and full galleys onboard. We recommend reservations. You can either do so by phone (631-668-5700) or via the link below

Ticketshttps://vikingfleet.com/whale-watching-cruises 

The regular fare for these trips is $85 for adults, $55 for children 5-12y/o, FREE for Children 4 and under


A LIMITED NUMBER OF DISCOUNTED WHALE WATCHING TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE FOR VARIOUS SUFFOLK AND NASSAU COUNTY LIBRARY PATRONS ($25 fare reduction per person, with restrictions) 

  • Contact your local library's Adult Services for a promo code
  • Promotion is limited to 25 reduced tickets per date and subject to availability.
  • Scroll to the bottom of this page and look at RELATED DOCUMENTS


Our colleagues at the Viking Fleet supports CRESLI's work through in-kind donations of providing the vessel and vessel crew, and some funds per trip. We are eternally grateful to the Viking Fleet for our decades of collaboration.


The Viking Fleet and CRESLI are proud participants in the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Whale SENSE program. This voluntary program ensures that participating whale watch companies comply with NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic whale watching guidelines to prevent harassment of marine mammals. This includes slowing down, managing our time near whales and dolphins, and alerting NOAA of any entangled, ship struck, injured or diseased whales encountered. We are thrilled to be Whale SENSE’s 50th partner and promoting responsible whale watching and stewardship of the marine environment

2025 WHALE WATCH TRIPS


2025 Naturalist Log

Sunday June 29, 2025

2 species of cetaceans and hundreds of pelagic birds, but way too many balloons

A great way to start our 30th season with 75-100 Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins, a finback whale, and lots of pelagic birds. Today's trip was a nice way to beat the heat and see wildlife. Our first encounters were with several groups of Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops erebennus), as many as 5-6 groups totaling 75-100 individuals, including some moms and calves in the near shore waters west of Montauk. There were also a few Great shearwaters (Ardenna gravis) and Cory’s Shearwaters (Calonectris borealis). We eventually decided to head southward (offshore). Things were quiet, with a few shearwaters and storms petrels, as we traveled, we reached an area where the ocean became alive with birds, bait, and ultimately a baleen whale.  We were in 170’ of water, with prey from the bottom to the surface. We knew we were in the right spot and eventually saw the characteristic 20-foot blow of a finback whale (Balaenoptera physalus). What a pleasure it was to find this majestic, fast, and sleek individual. Finback whales are the 2nd largest animal. We watched it for about 30 minutes before making our way back to the dock. This was our 110th consecutive trip (since 2019) finding cetaceans. While we never guarantee it, we do our best to find them and have been doing it longer than any other group in the NY Bight.

  • 75-100 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins
  • 1 finback whale (~55-60 feet long)
  • Great shearwaters
  • Cory’s shearwaters
  • Sooty shearwaters
  • Wilson’s storm petrels

Unfortunately, just about every direction we looked, we saw balloons on the surface of the water.  We scooped up as many as we could but didn’t have the time to grab more.  The ones we removed were graduation celebratory balloons. Come on folks – stop buying and releasing balloons, they are killers.

Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available

Monday, June 30, 2025

Another successful trip!!
Our second trip of the season started out in a thick layer of fog that quickly enveloped the point despite clearer skies at the dock. Excitement onboard though was palpable like the mist consuming the region. Despite the limited visibility, passengers were afforded close-up views of a variety of pelagic birds including Cory’s, Great, and Sooty shearwaters, along with flocks of the small but mighty Wilson’s storm petrels. Our captain wisely steered us into deeper waters with the hope that there, the fog would lift, and that it did!  As if a switch was suddenly flipped, the skies cleared to nearly unlimited visibility at which point, a small pod of dolphins was spotted off the starboard bow. At first the pod was tricky to find again, but then several other small pods were observed around the vessel. We spent some time here, enjoying some good looks at porpoising and playful Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins before continuing southwest in hopes of finding larger cetaceans. It took some time, but eventually a large spout belonging to a finback whale was observed about a half a mile away. With bait detected along the bottom, this whale was likely feeding, spending little time at the surface and long stretches underwater. Observing finback (fin) whales can be tricky because they are incredibly sleek and fast. In 6-8 minutes time, they can move ¼ mile away from where last observed. We had some far-off views, but others close enough to see the body and the characteristic fin. The blow itself is also impressive and was exciting to behold. As we headed back to port, we encountered a beautiful flock of sooty shearwaters, mixed with Great and Cory’s and more Wilson storm petrels along the way. More views of porpoising bottlenose and at least one seal were enjoyed as the sun set beautifully over the water.
Our season is only just beginning and every trip is unique. Come out and see why we have been doing this for 30 years!

  • 150-200 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins
  • 1 finback whale
  • 1 seal of unknown species
  • 30-50 great shearwaters
  • 50-60 Cory’s shearwaters
  • 8-12 Sooty shearwaters
  • 80-120 Wilson storm petrels

Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Our 3rd trip of the 2025 season was the 1st time in a while that we didn’t find a baleen whale. It was a great trip nonetheless! The earlier rain/drizzle and dense fog gave way to incredible unlimited visibility. We were all ready to encounter cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), as well as pelagic birds. We had reports, but had a planned route to head to where we’d seen that finback whale one 6/29 and 6/30.

As we headed out, we encountered a small pod of about 20 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins, along with a few Great Shearwaters and Cory’s Shearwaters.  In a short while, we encountered another group of about 50-75 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins, as well as more shearwaters, and Wilson’s Storm Petrels. The area offshore where days before we found the whale and loads of bait fish throughout the water column (surface to 170 feet) not productive.  We headed closer to shore and ultimately came across a massive aggregation of Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins. We watched as several pods joined together repeatedly top interact and feed. Captain Dave Marmeno told us that the bait profile on the sonar was indicative of squid, and lots of it. These dolphins were spending a lot of time beneath the surface, most likely feeding on those deep squid.We saw moms and calves, adults, juveniles. It was a pleasure to watch. Eventually we had to head back to the dock and a few saw a seal just of Gin Beach.  Please note that as members of the Whale SENSE system, we are committed to responsible whale watching and will always abide by the constraints of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and never harass, chase, or disturb them. 

  • 250-300 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins
  • Great shearwaters
  • Cory’s shearwaters
  • Sooty shearwaters
  • Wilson’s storm petrels

Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available

Friday, July 4, 2025

Happy Independence Day! For our fourth trip on the Fourth (say that five times fast!), we set sail under sunny skies and excellent sea conditions. Our first cetacean encounter occurred quickly with a small pod of Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins as we steamed passed the lighthouse. We spent some time observing this group of approximately a dozen dolphins before continuing in search of other species. We headed towards an area where humpback whales were seen a day prior, not far from where also observed a fin whale on previous trips. Despite near unlimited visibility and calm seas, no baleen whales were found. Instead, we enjoyed nice views of Cory’s and great shearwaters along with sporadic sightings of Wilson’s storm petrels. We also stopped a few times to pick-up multiple batches of mylar balloons which otherwise kill marine life (especially sea turtles) when ingested. About six miles off Napeague, we encountered another pod of Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins. This aggregation was larger than the first with multiple small pods and one large pod of 40-60 individuals surrounding the vessel affording everyone outstanding views. Some of the dolphins were tail-slapping, a form of non-vocal communication which could also serve as a hunting mechanism to stun prey. With little bait detected, however, these displays were most likely interactive. We stayed in neutral as the dolphins surrounded the vessel, when suddenly a group of at least 12-16 simultaneously surged to the surface to the delight of those of us onboard. Other synchronized leaps followed before we continued north and east towards Montauk. Another small group of Tamanend’s was observed on our return. What a great way to celebrate the Fourth of July!

  • 120-140 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins
  • 30-40 Cory’s shearwaters
  • 6-8 great shearwaters
  • 10-12 Wilson’s storm petrels

Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available

Here's a slideshow

Sunday, July 06, 2025

We found our first humpbacks (and common dolphins) of the season!

Yesterday was a beautiful day to be out on the water and sightings began early with a gray seal in the harbor upon departure. We first headed south to an area where whales were reported to be the day prior, but despite significant bait detected beneath the surface, no whales were found. Sporadic sightings of Cory’s and great shearwaters kept us entertained while we continued east in our search towards a second area where whales were also reported, but at first, it seemed as if the whales had moved away. Then, a blow! Upon investigation, it was found to belong to MTK119 (also known as Loon in the Gulf of Maine catalog*), a humpback whale previously documented by CRESLI off Montauk in 2022 and 2023. We spent some time alongside this whale before investigating two other blows about a quarter mile away. As we did, a pod of short-beaked common dolphin charged toward our vessel to the sheer delight of those onboard. Surrounded by dolphins, we now had views of the second humpback, MTK141 (known as Celebration in the Gulf of Maine catalog*), who was previously seen off Montauk in 2023 and 2024, making this the third consecutive year we observed this humpback in our waters. In fact, MTK141 is quite familiar to CRESLI having been sighted eleven times over three months in 2024! There were two other humpbacks in the area, but the whales were diving for about six minutes at a time and not feeding cooperatively so it was difficult to reach the other two while observing the ones closest to us. Viking and CRESLI are proud participants of WhaleSENSE, a voluntary program promoting responsible and ethical whale watching and we do not transit with whales below until we know they are safely away from the vessel. We used this time wisely though, removing a mylar balloon, from the water. Common dolphins continued to approach the vessel as we eyed a navy combat ship, the USS Billings (as later determined by the hull number) in the distance. It was a very exciting and awe-inspiring day on the water and we cannot wait to get back out! Please note that as members of the Whale SENSE system, we are committed to responsible whale watching and will always abide by the constraints of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and never harass, chase, or disturb them. 

*the Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale Catalog is organized and maintained by the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, MA. CRESLI proudly contributes data to this catalog.

  • 3-4 humpback whales
  • 60-80 short-beaked common dolphins
  • 1 Atlantic gray seal
  • 12-16 Cory’s shearwaters
  • 4-6 great shearwaters
  • 16-20 Wilson’s storm petrels

Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available soon

Here's a slideshow

Monday July 7, 2025

Our 1st 3 species day of the season!!

We left the dock ready to look for the humpback whales sighted the day before (7/6/25). We new it would take a while to get out to the zone and began looking esly and found a small pod of about 10 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins. They were nice to view, but very elusive and we continued our way.  We found a humpback whale with a highly curved dorsal fin. It was making shallow dives and rarely putting it’s flukes. Actually, it was logging most of the time, that is, essentially sleeping just at or below the surface.  Occasionally fluking and diving deep and staying down for 5-7 minutes ((the prey was 150’ down).  The time spent with this whale travelling ENE and surfacing to blow every 30 seconds while sleeping, was well worth it. Of course, we were joined out there by a pod of short-beaked common dolphins. These dolphins swam towards us, with and around us for a while as we remained out of gear.

We also encountered the typical array of pelagic birds and picked up more balloons.

This was a great trip and we are trying to ID this humpback whale . Check back with us in a few days. Please note that as members of the Whale SENSE system, we are committed to responsible whale watching and will always abide by the constraints of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and never harass, chase, or disturb them. 

  • 10 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins
  • 12-15 Short-beaked common dolphins
  • 1 Humpback whale
  • 24 Great shearwaters
  • 1 Cory’s shearwaters
  • 22 Wilson’s storm pertrels

Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available

Here's a slideshow

Wednesday, July 09, 2025

On yesterday’s trip, we followed-up on some reports of whale and dolphin activity to our south. We headed out under beautiful weather conditions, exchanging cool ocean breezes for the steamy conditions left behind on land. About two miles out, we had our first cetacean encounter with a group of Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphin. What was first believed to be a small group of a dozen or so ended up being 30-40 individuals swimming around the vessel. Everyone got great looks at the pod(s) before steaming our way south. Eventually we got into an area that was ripe with bird activity; Cory’s and great shearwaters, along with common tern were numerous, and bait was detected from 40-50 ft to the surface. This was a good area for whales, but none were yet found. So we traveled east until a large splash was detected, belonging to a kick-feeding humpback whale. This was the first of five humpbacks encountered in a thick sea of sand eels. Scores of shearwaters joined in on the feast and we enjoyed spending time on the water as whales surrounded the vessel feeding and diving on the bounty. As we left, a small pod of dolphins appeared next to the vessel to the delight of those watching from the bow. It was wonderful being in the presence of such active whales again.

Viking and CRESLI are proud members of NOAA’s Whale SENSE program promoting responsible and ethical whale watching. We do not chase or crowd the whales and keep a safe distance while observing them. Every trip is different and we never know what we will see or experience. Book your first or repeat trip with us today!

  • 5 humpback whales
  • 30-40 Tamanend’s dolphins
  • Small pod of dolphins, likely short-beaked common dolphins
  • 80-100 great shearwaters
  • 40-60 Cory’s shearwaters
  • 20-35 Wilson’s storm petrels

Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available

Here's a slideshow

Friday, July 11, 2025

Wow, what a day we had on the water yesterday!

Numerous reports of whales in the area had us excitedly heading out in search of some of the humpbacks we had seen on Wednesday’s trip. But to our surprise, our transit was ‘interrupted’ by the sightings of three finback whales less than halfway to our destination. The massive whales were feeding on sand eels, with one seen lunge-feeding on its side at the surface. Fin whales are extremely fast and can travel tremendous distances in a short time, so we enjoyed watching them for a bit, before they – and we – traveled on. About twelve miles offshore, we found blows belonging to two, and then four, and then five humpback whales. All types of feeding and surface displays were observed with one humpback kick-feeding at the surface, another open-mouth feeding with excellent views of its baleen, and another breaching beyond our vessel. We spent time with these whales, while more blows were observed in the distance, and we traveled on to investigate. Again, to our surprise, two fin whales appeared in the mix, along with a minke whale, while tails of humpbacks dove in the distance. What an amazing experience! We reached the additional humpbacks and were pleased to see the tails belonged to a mom/calf pair that had been encountered on Wednesday’s trip. Humpbacks often form associated pairs while feeding and can vary in size and length, so we are always cautious to identify a pair as mom/calf without additional observation. This sighting confirmed what we believed on Wednesday to be our first humpback mom and calf pair of our 2025 season. What a wonderful way to spend a summer’s day on the water.

Every trip is different and we never know what we will see. Don’t miss the boat – book your trip today!

  • 3-5 finback whales (not yet determined if additional two were same as those first encountered)
  • 7-11 humpback whales
  • 1 minke whale
  • 80-120 Great shearwaters
  • 20-30 Cory’s shearwaters

Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available

Here's a slideshow

Sunday, July 13, 2025

Oh, what a trip we had- 5 species of cetaceans!!

Our 2025 season is getting better and better. Today’s trip initially brought us to a small group of ~20 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins. Quickly we began to find more groups, , and ultimately a massive aggregation of 300 individuals. We stayed with them for a while and then headed further offshore and found a zone with finback whales and their characteristic 20’ tall inverted coned-shaped blows. The water column was loaded with sand eels and the surface loaded with pelagic birds. We were able to get ID photos from about 6-8 finbacks, although we could see blows in every direction for a few miles.  After a while we decided to check out the humpbacks in the same area. Sea-nettle, Celebration, and a few others to be ID’d were there. Sea-nettle regularly kick-feeding, the others sometimes bubble mist feeding, and occasionally open-mouth feeding.  Throughout this area we occasionally saw several minkes whales as well.

  • 300 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins
  • 6-8 Finback whales
  • 3-4 Humpback whales
  • 3 Minke whales
  • 40-60 Short-beaked common dolphins
  • Hundreds of Great, Cory’s shearwaters
  • 2 Wilson’s storm petrels

Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available

Here's a slideshow

Monday, July 14, 2025

This was a tremendous and memorable trip! We started out toward an area with heavy bait and numerous reports of cetacean activity. En route, we encountered a juvenile humpback whale that was spending brief intervals at the surface, just enough to give everyone a quick look, before we decided to move on. Within a few miles, we saw numerous spouts ahead of us, the first belonging to a finback (fin) whale, the second largest animal on Earth. While observing this endangered species, a minke whale popped up near the vessel, followed by a second blow belonging to the tiniest of minke whales, about one third the size of the adults we typically see. From there, we spent time with a group of 60-100 short-beaked common dolphins which approached our vessel and swam all around us affording everyone onboard incredible views, as well as a second fin whale in the area. Then, it was time to meet our second humpback of the day, a tail-throwing individual exhibiting long dive times (likely feeding on the incredible density of bait detected beneath us) so we continued toward a third humpback observed bubble cloud feeding ahead of us. This whale continuously produced bubble clouds (about every two minutes) around our vessel, confusing and trapping the sand eels that are in abundance here. A minke whale was seen here as well, completing an exciting spectacle of wildlife just eight miles off Montauk. A small group of Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins were spotted on our return transit, wrapping up an incredible five-species cetacean day.

We never know what we will see, but it seems like this season is heating up, and these trips are truly a dream come true. Come on out with us and experience this splendor for yourself!

  • 3 humpback whales
  • 2 fin whales
  • 3-4 minke whales
  • 60-100 short-beaked common dolphins
  • 12-20 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins
  • 60-80 great shearwaters
  • 20-30 Cory’s shearwaters
  • 40-60 Wilson’s storm petrels

Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available

Here's a slideshow

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

A spectacular afternoon with an interesting and well-known humpback whale and loads of dolphins! On a brutally warm and muggy day on land, we were already for a cooler day at sea. We headed towards the area where we’d been seeing dense patches of prey, birds, and cetaceans for the past week. The prey, and predators (cetaceans and birds) were gone. We had to pick a direction to travel, westward or eastward. We started heading west, but Captain Dave Marmeno changed his mind and turned us eastward.  That was the right move. We spent time with a large aggregation of short-beaked common dolphins. Thern we saw blows from far off and found 25-year-old Mostaza, a female humpback whale that we’d seen on our past 2 trips (and many times before). Mostaza was open-mouth feeding, each time after she closed her mouth, she would roll-over. The dolphins came over as well. This was a magical encounter that included lots of pelagic birds as well.

  • 220 Short-beaked common dolphins
  • 1 humpback whale
  • 47 Great shearwaters
  • 19 Cory’s shearwaters
  • 11 Wilson’s storm petrels

Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available

Here's a slideshow

 

 


 

YOU CAN HELP SUPPORT CRESLI when you view and purchase images/prints/artwork


What should you bring on the whale watch?

  • You will be on a moving vessel, yes it will rock, but we won't go out if conditions don't warrant it (i.e., dense fog, strong winds, severe weather, and seas greater than 7 feet).

    • Be sure to keep your camera away from sea spray, that is, keep it contained until we get near wildlife. Have a towel to wipe off your camera; have lens cloth; protect the front of your lens with a neutral density or UV filter
  • You should be prepared for a variety of weather conditions.
    • Have several layers of warm clothing (particularly early in the season) available; have foul weather gear available.
      • It's always better to be a "MORE-ON" than a "LESS-ON", i.e., you can always take off layers of clothes if you are too warm, but if you are cold, it's hard to add layers that you don't have.
  • Shoes ... strong, sturdy, flat, non-skid, rubber-soled.
  • A hat ... under cold conditions much body heat is lost through your head. During warm weather a hat is needed to protect you from the sun, rain, etc..
  • Sun screen ... that blocks UVa and UVb. VERY IMPORTANT!
  • Sun glasses ... VERY IMPORTANT!
  • Sea-sick medication .... If you are prone to motion sickness, take medication well before coming on board
  • Camera
  • Binoculars
  • The vessel has a full galley with food and drinks for purchase, but also feel free to bring your own.


Precautions to prevent or reduce motion sickness?

  1. Do not think about getting seasick. You're on a safe vessel and like any other vessel, it may move in many directions at once. Keep your eyes looking out over the horizon and stay outside.
  2. Make sure that you have some layers to put on in case you get cold
  3. Make sure that you’ve eaten well before coming on board. Bring pretzels, crackers, other doughy food to eat if queasy,. Bring liquid with electrolytes (or fresh fruit) to replace electrolytes lost if throwing up
  4. Take appropriate medication well prior to coming on board. There are over the counter meds, and speak with your physician about a prescription for Scopolamine Transdermal patch
  5. Stay on the lower deck in the back ½ of the vessel; keep your eyes out on the horizon; DO NOT GO INTO THE CABIN if you aren’t feeling well, you’ll only feel worse


Where do we go and what might we see?

Put your cursor on the humpback's snout and scroll down to view


What might we see?

Cetaceans

 Turtles

Fish

  • Ocean Sunfish
  • Blue, Basking, Great White, Hammerhead, Thresher, and Shortfin Mako sharks
  • Bluefin, Albacore, Yellowfin, Bigeye, Atlantic Bonito, False Albacore, and Skipjack Tuna
  • Mahi Mahi
  • White and Blue Marlin, Atlantic Sailfish, Swordfish

Pelagic birds

  • Cory’s Shearwaters
  • Scopolli's Shearwaters 
  • Great Shearwaters 
  • Sooty Shearwaters
  • Manx Shearwaters
  • Audubon’s Shearwaters
  • Wilson’s Storm-Petrels
  • Northern Fulmar 
  • Northern Gannet
  • Red-necked and Wilson's Phalaropes
  • Pomarine and Parasitic Jaegers
  • Greater Black-backed, Herring, and other Gulls.

 


Purchase your tickets at https://vikingfleet.com/whale-watching-cruises/


Whether our trips take place are dependent upon weather and sea conditions. The marine forecast for the waters around Montauk are available here.


CRESLI is a non-profit organization as defined in section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All Contributions are deductible to the fullest extent of the law. A copy of the last financial report filed with the Department of State may be obtained by writing to NYS Dept. of State, Office of Charities Registration, Albany, NY 12231.

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