Humpback Whales in Long Island, New York

I never knew about the wildlife diversity on Long Island.

HARBOR SEALS

I have lived on Long Island for my entire life and never knew about the wildlife diversity. I always assumed it was mostly deer and squirrels but back in March, I learned something new.

I had just found out that seals spend the winter months along the coastline and promptly made my way to the beach. It was the tail end of the season and almost all of them had already started migrating back north into colder waters but I was lucky enough to see one before the summer.

This one even said hello!

After that afternoon I spent days researching which animals also lived on this island and when they were around. I found out that whales spent their summers just south of the island in the Atlantic ocean and was instantly hooked on seeing them.

OUT OF THE INLET

I headed to Freeport on the South Shore of Long Island and boarded the vessel around 11:00am. We left the harbor and headed out through the inlets and waterways of southern Long Island. Some people rode the bow until we arrived in the open water. Everyone quickly realized that the waves hitting the boat were going to absolutely soak us if we stay outside of the cabin.

After an hour and a half everyone quickly realized that the waves hitting the boat were going to absolutely soak us if we stay outside of the cabin. Instead we sat comfortably inside until the captain found a spot to turn off the engines

Hazy view of New York City from the boat on the water.

WHALE BREACH

Immediately after the captain stopped the boat, there was a whale breach about 30 yards off the bow of the boat. I was excited. I could feel the mood of the passengers change in a wave from sullen and sea-sick to exhilaration and euphoria.

WHALE CALL

After drifting in the Atlantic for a little while without any sightings, a crew member jokingly called out to the passenger’s that he would try his patented whale call. He started to whistle and it sounded more like he was singing to the seagulls. But in true comedic fashion, a young humpback breached right in front of our boat!

HUMPBACK WHALES

We had been watching a humpback for most of the day, keeping our distance to observe and hope for activity. It turns out we had been with the same whale all afternoon. This young humpback was a very active teenager, breaching and slapping the water with its tail and fins in the midday sun. As for me, I was slapping my hands and legs all over the boat railings so I could keep steady to take these photos. We swayed up and down in the oceans swells and I got soaked with salt spray and water from the waves crashing against the side of the boat. It was well worth it to see this giant animal propel itself out of its ocean home into the air. 🐋

BACK TO SHORE

After all of the excitement and the whale headed back down in search of food, the captain took us safely back home. Some passenger’s relaxed inside and napped while others like myself explored the outer deck of the ship to enjoy the views while we enjoyed the last few hours of our day.

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