Local Montauk Whale Watching 2024
Our 28th year with Viking Fleet of Montauk, NY
By: A. H. Kopelman, Ph.D.
The Viking Fleet and CRESLI 2024 Whale Watching Schedule
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.
2024 LOCAL TRIPS: We will sail 4 days per week for most of the summer!
- Sundays and Wednesdays on the Viking Starship from 2-7 PM from July 3 through September 18, 2024!
- Mondays and Fridays on the Viking Star from 10 AM-4 PM, from July 1 through September 2, 2024
- The fare for these trips is $85 for adults, $55 for children 5-12y/o, FREE for Children 4 and under
Join the crew with over 37 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.
See our 2024 Naturalist Logs below - we are at 100% success thus far in 2024
SINCE 2009 - 96% SUCCESS RATE IN FINDING CETACEANS (2023 and prior whale watch sightings blogs)
Sightings and behaviors are NEVER guaranteed, but we will always do our best to find them
2024 Offshore Whale Watch trip to the Great South Channel
Departs: Sunday, August 11, 2024 at 8PM
Returns: Tuesday, August 13, 2024 at 3AM
More information and link for purchasing tickets
Please note that 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 offering special family friendly marine cruises focusing on the sights of the ocean! Enjoy a day on the water with your family looking for whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sea birds and sunfish. Along the way you can view the Montauk lighthouse and all the landmarks of the east end.
- Our qualified naturalists/marine biologists will narrate the tour and answer all of your questions!
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
Tickets: https://vikingfleet.com/activities/whale-watching/ The fare for these trips is $85 for adults, $55 for children 5-12y/o, FREE for Children 4 and under
Be sure to check the Marine Forecast for the waters around Montauk
Meet the CRESLI naturalists/educators
Best of the 2023 CRESLI Whale Watch Season" photos and videos.
HELP SUPPORT OUR WORK: purchase images/prints/artwork
Diving humpback pair, 8/2/23 (AHK_5757) from CRESLI_ Inc. on Vimeo.
Associated pair of humpback whales (Bombay on left and Snowslide on right) seen on our 8/2/23 whale watch
| July 01, 2024 | July 15, 2024 |
| July 03, 2024 | July 17, 2024 |
| July 05, 2023 | July 19, 2024 |
| July 07, 2024 | Juy 21, 2023 |
| July 14, 2024 | July 22, 2023 |
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5 species of cetaceans and thousands of pelagic birds!
12 Humpbacks (were able to reach 5 of them (including Degreee, Polaris, Flyingfox, and Sctachboard,and CRESLI-MTK.2024.07.01-03) 2-4 fin whales (including mom and calf) , ~12 minke whales, Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins, Atlantic white-sided dolphins, Great, Cory's, and Sooty shearwaters, Wilson's storm petrels galore
Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available
Here's a slideshow
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Another spectacular multispecies trip (humpbacks, minkes, finbacks, and Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins
We left the dock under excellent conditions (unlimited visibility and 2' seas). Early on, just around Montauk Lighthouse we found ~300 Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins, always a good way to start. Further out, we encountered a small and lethargic humpback whale. We stayed with it for a while to see if it was OK. It was resting (logging) and eventually "woke up" and began to vigorously lob-tail. Once heard a trumpet blow, it was clear the whale wanted us to move away. We were never really close, but heeded the whale's "request."
Off we went, and found several finback whales, more humpbacks, minkes, and loads of pelagic birds. Another successful trip!
Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available
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The third whale watch of our 2024 season was as successful and amazing as the first two!
We headed out in search of two whales reported to be feeding right off the lighthouse. Blows and splashes could be seen before I even finished talking about the historic landmark. Between six to eight humpbacks could be seen feeding and diving on the abundant sand eels (sand lance) in the area. We spent most of our time watching two whales kick feed, throwing their massive bodies sideways, kicking at the bait in the water and coming up immediately after with large, gaping open mouths, as they filter out the fish through their dense mats of baleen. There were about six whales in the immediate vicinity, in all directions, so it took time to eventually encounter all of them. CRESLI can identify individual humpback whales by the unique markings on and shapes of their tails, easily observed when they complete high fluking dives, lifting their tail flukes high out of the water to generate the thrust necessary for a deep dive. With the bait close to the surface and the whales in relatively shallow water close to shore, not all of them would ‘fluke’ when diving, so we spent time with what we believe were each of the six whales taking photographs necessary for identification. While we did, we were joined by Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins, and at least one minke whale. On our way home, we encountered another humpback, with which we spent time, and got an extremely close but fleeting view of a leatherback sea turtle as we transited passed the lighthouse on our return. Approximately 200 shearwaters (Cory’s, Sooty, and Great) and a few Wilson’s Storm Petrels wrapped up our sightings for the day. This season is off to a hot start and we sail again tomorrow (Sunday, 07/06); come join us!
Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available
Here's a slideshow . |
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On our fourth whale watch of the 2024 season, we replaced the heat and humidity on land for cool, offshore breezes at sea. Dense fog blanketed the Point, so we headed south to deeper water where visibility improved. Here, we encountered a small group of bottlenose dolphins, likely Tamanend’s, approximately seven miles from shore. This pod of 8-12 included, upon later photographic investigation, a young calf, which bore the light vertical lines from fetal folding while in the uterus. These lines remain on the young dolphin for up to a few months after birth. We continued in search of the whales and dolphins encountered in this same area just four and six days earlier. Unfortunately, the water which was a beautiful turquoise green, was now devoid of prey. Occasional groups of shearwaters (Cory’s and Great) and a few ‘rafts’ of 80-120 Wilson Storm Petrel’s were spotted, not long before finding a second group of dolphins. These were short-beaked common dolphins, and, unlike the bottlenose, were very interested in our vessel, circling around and under the boat, providing passengers excellent views of these colorful animals. We eventually continued on and came upon an unusual sight: an ocean sunfish! Mola molas, or ocean sunfish, are the largest and densest bony fish and can occasionally be seen resting and warming themselves at the surface. CRESLI did not encounter any sunfish during our 2023 season, so this was a welcome encounter. Passengers had amazing views of this uniquely-shaped animal which was accompanied by two pilot fish. A shark was also spotted nearby, but disappeared below the surface before we could get a closer view and ID. On our transit home, the dense fog returned, preventing any additional sightings.
Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available
Here's a slideshow |
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Another 4 species day!
We headed out to escape from the heat and found our first whales (2 small humpbacks) shortly after we passed the Montauk Lighthouse. We were able to spend some time with one that was flipper slapping and rolling over quite a lot. It was swimming, diving, and feeding in shallow water that was filled from surface to the bottom with Atlantic menhaden (AKA bunker). We eventually left this whale and headed further out. We came across a massive aggregation of 400-500 short-beaked common dolphins. They were everywhere we looked and often groups came to ride our bow wake. The passengers at the bow were able to look down and see and HEAR the dolphins vocalizing! The joy on people's faces said it all! What a beautiful encounter. Later we briefly encountered a group of bottlenose dolphins, but we unable to get good photos and unable to clearly identify which species. On our way back, we also briefly encountered a minke whale. We also encountered pelagic birds throughout our trip.
Sightings:
Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available
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Hungry, Hungry Humpbacks!
What an amazing day whale watching aboard the Viking Star yesterday! We left the heat of land in favor of cool, ocean breezes traveling approximately ten miles south to an area of reported whale activity. Two blows were spotted, belonging to a pair of humpback whales which turned out to be our first mother and calf pair of the 2024 season! The calf stuck close to the mom, often rising up next to her in a playful fashion, alternating between her left and right sides. We stayed with the pair for a while, but there were many other whales in the area. Soon, patches of sea all around us glowed green as bubbles rose up just ahead of gaping mouths belonging to feeding humpbacks at the surface. There were at least 8-12 individuals, each using bubble clouds to corral and engulf sand eels as they rose out of the water with enormous open mouths. Many of the individuals arched their backs to strain the water and swallow their prey, a unique behavior known as ‘snaking’, although I prefer the term ‘whale yoga’ as one passenger suggested! Our observations of this massive feeding event went on for over two hours. At least one minke whale was also documented and a small pod of short-beaked common dolphins was seen surfing the wake ahead of a surfacing humpback. We picked up a couple of mylar balloons before heading back to the dock, humbled by what we had seen.
Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available
Here's a slideshow |
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It keeps getting better and better - another 4 species day with dozens of whales!
Once again, we headed out to sea and escaped the heat. The visibility was excellent in terms of distance, but hazy. It didn't matter. Cap't. Steven D. Forsberg radioed to tell us of "thousands of whales" offshore. It wasn't thousands, but what dozens of whales, including finbacks and humpbacks. On the way, we found a large aggregation of short-beaked common dolphins. Later, we found the whales, we saw blows everywhere and in every direction. At any time, we were with a whale (or 4) we typically surrounded by an additional 20 more within a 1 nautical mile radius. Often times we were unsure which way to go and couldn't move until the whales we were with moved away.
We found trios of humpbacks (mom/calf and escort) and had several finback whales swimming together as well. We also saw some Tamanend's bottlenose dolphins on our way out. Lot's of pelagic birds too.
What a day!
Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available
Here's a slideshow |
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Another incredible day!
What an amazing experience for the passengers aboard the Viking Star yesterday! We headed off to find the many whales encountered on Wednesday’s trip, but were happily interrupted by three separate pods of Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins while en route. Blows from humpback whales were spotted ahead as a minke whale and large pod of short-beaked common dolphins “welcomed” our arrival. We sat in ‘whale soup’ as humpbacks surrounded the vessel and were seen in every direction. Two associated pairs of whales dove in unison feeding on bait detected near the bottom. We spent time with these and at least five other whales before moving on to a large assemblage of whales spotted ahead. Here we encountered at least 12-18 more humpbacks, including groups of five, three, and two individuals tightly swimming together. With prey here patchily distributed, the whales spent more time approaching the vessel than feeding. Multiple close approaches by the three groups of humpbacks continued for an hour to the delight of everyone onboard. Short-beaked common dolphins charged ahead of the whales and repeatedly swam around the vessel offering everyone excellent viewing opportunities. Just as we prepared to leave, a minke whale and shortfin mako shark were spotted to top of the action. We know this was not the first human encounter for the mako because a tagging device was attached to the animal to help understand its habitat use and distribution. As with our other encounters, the shark ‘cooperatively’ stayed near the surface allowing excellent views. It was an incredible day spent with many of the apex predators that call this beautiful ecosystem home.
We don’t know how long these amazing sightings will continue. Don’t delay; come out with us today!
Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available
Here's a slideshow |
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Beyond amazing!
We are running out of superlatives to describe the Viking/CRESLI whale watches this season…and its only July! It was the trip of a lifetime for our passengers yesterday as we continued to find the large humpback whales feeding offshore including two mom/calf pairs and a large pod of short-beaked common dolphins. With the Summer Olympics starting soon, it was no surprise that these animals were showing off their athletic prowess. Dolphins leaped in unison and charged toward the vessel offering everyone incredible sights - and sounds – of these fast-moving animals. Not to be outdone, a calf began breaching nearby, rolling over, flipper slapping, and inverted lob-tailing (throwing the tail up and down while in an upside-down position at the surface). We sat safely out of gear as the spectacle surrounded us with close, intentional ‘swim-bys’ by adult humpbacks, a playful calf, and swarming dolphins. More breaching could be seen in the distance, so we eventually moved on to check out the action. Not surprisingly, we encountered a second calf, who was breaching right next to another humpback (likely mom) over and over again. This calf would breach, swim, breach, repeat, as it circled the vessel. As we waited excitedly for each leap, the calf would occasionally surprise us with a spyhop right next to us. Large splashes ahead of us revealed two more whales breaching, which turned out to be the calf’s mom and her escort. The breaching ended when all three united, that is, until the calf got playful again. More spyhopping and breaching continued until the calf leaped immediately ahead of the bow surprising passengers and wrapping up an incredible day at sea. Please join us and tell your friends – these experiences are not to be missed!
Photos soon |
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Whale watch on the Viking Star, one of the best local whale trips of the past 20+ years!
Once again, we are running out of superlatives! Today’s trip, like so many others, began with a small pod of 15 Tamanend’s bottlenose dolphins. We received a report of “20 whales” miles ahead, about where they were on Sunday’s trip. The 20 whales, turned out to be over 45 different whales!!! At least 36 humpbacks, including 2 mom and calf pairs (Reaper and calf, and Ampersand and calf); and at least 4 fin whales including a female we had first seen in 7/21/2013, and saw again last year. This summer she’s had her 2024 calf and we’ve seen and her her for 3 weeks now. At least 4 minke whales, and short-beaked common dolphins, all within a 6 square nautical mile area.
The whales were feeding at the surface, and also in some areas throughout the water column. The humpbacks employed several different feeding patterns. 2,including Habanero, were chin slapping, then kicking, then diving in thefir concentrated prey and coming up filtering and “dragging;” long surface filtering sessions. We had cooperative bubble- ring feeding amongst many groups of humpbacks (they are the only baleen whales to do this), some groups of 5, others or 9, and still others of 11 or more, almost all simultaneously feeding around us. This cooperative feeding began at 12:30 PM and was still going on when we had to leave 1.5 hrs. later. Needless to say, there were pelagic birds everywhere the whales were feeding: Great shearwaters, Cory’s shearwaters, Sooty shearwaters, Wilson’s storm-petrels were all over the feeding whales.
Dr. Kopelman, CRESLI’s naturalist and president, led this trip, and is reviewing over 1650 photos and videos. So please be patient. They will be posted ASAP.
Photos to view and/or purchase to help support our work - prints, digital copies, and framed artwork available
Here's a slideshow |
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CRESLI /Viking Fleet Montauk Sighting reports from 2013-2023
Best CRESLI /Viking Fleet Montauk Whale Watch photos and videos from 2012-2023
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
We at CRESLI wish to acknowledge the indigenous peoples and tribes who were the original stewards of the coastal areas in which we work. The Coastal Research & Education Society of Long Island's research and work take place primarily on the land and waters of the Unkechaug (Cupsogue Beach), Shinnecock (Shinnecock Bay), Montaukett (Montauk), and Secatogue (West Sayville). View a map of the indigenous communities.