It’s prime time for whale-watching in New York City
The New York City skyline is still visible about 10 miles off the coast of Brooklyn. The city noise, however, is long gone.
In its place, the Atlantic Ocean splashes against the hull of a boat with 100 passengers scanning the water in hushed anticipation.
A sudden geyser of whale breath prompts loud cheers from the crowd of whale-watchers. A lone whale sprays water from its blowhole, close enough to get a strong whiff of the pungent scent of rotten fish and ocean water.
That was one of four humpbacks spotted on a three-hour trip earlier this month, along with hundreds of bottlenose dolphins and a lone harbor seal bobbed on the surface.
Capt. Frank DeSantis, who was at the helm of the American Princess whale-watching ship, said these sightings weren't unusual, either. Fall is prime time for whale-watching in the Big Apple – and it's never been better.
"When they come jumping, flying right out of the water, it's always a lot of fun to see," DeSantis said. "It just does not get old. It's a fun, beautiful thing."
In fact, DeSantis was certain he would see a whale ahead of the trip. Officially, he puts the odds of seeing a whale at 97% on a sightseeing tour around this time of year – leaving open a slight chance of getting skunked.
Data indicates that DeSantis isn't just another seaman prone to exaggeration. In 2011, citizen scientist group Gotham Whale recorded five humpback whales in the city's waters. Now, the group documents 50 to 70 new whales visiting the region each year. Since 2011, the organization has spotted 409 humpback individual whales.
The mammals are mostly munching on their favorite food, menhaden – a one-pound silvery fish that swims in schools by the thousands. The filter feeders have been called "the most important fish in the sea" – and they're coming closer to urban waterways as pollution declines.
Currently, the whales are gorging on fish in preparation for the long journey south. Some of the whales are passing through on their way to the West Indies to breed.
"It's this time of year, we get nice pulses of animals [coming] through," said Howard Rosenbaum, director of the ocean giants program at the Wildlife Conservation Society. "People are now becoming more accustomed and more familiar with seeing whales and seeing dolphins off of our shores."
Some humpbacks swim 5,000 miles – the longest migration of any mammal. The creatures weigh up to 40 tons, grow up to 60 feet long and live for 80 to 90 years. They consume about 3,000 pounds of fish daily.
Whale-watching tours depart from piers in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Long Island and along the New Jersey coast almost every day, and run for about 2.5 to 4.5 hours.
The most common whales are the humpbacks. Endangered North Atlantic and fin whales are also in the New York Bight, which is a region stretching from New Jersey to Montauk. The smallest baleen whale, minkes, which measure up to 35 feet long and weigh a modest 20,000 pounds , are around but difficult to spot because they spend more time underwater. Blue whales – the largest animal on Earth, up to 110 feet long and 330,000 pounds – are rare sights but do frequent the city's coastline.
Many of the marine mammals off the city's shores are returning visitors. Ecologists know this through unique markings on each animal's fluke.
"No two humpback whales have the same pattern there on the underside of their tail," said Celia Ackerman, research associate at Gotham Whale. "It is unique, just like a human fingerprint."
Most of New York City's whales are juveniles. Calves learn the location of feeding grounds from their mothers and then return as adults.
"These returning whales are also very important because they're showing us that they're remembering our waters here in the western New York Bight as a place where they can come and reliably find food again," Ackerman said. "We love adding new whales, but we love seeing returning whales. It's like seeing an old friend again."
A ticket on a whale-watching boat costs around $70 to $100, but marine mammal lovers don't need to leave land or drop cash for a chance to see these majestic creatures. Rockaway Beach and its boardwalk are hot spots for cetacean sightings. In Coney Island, the beach, boardwalk or Steeplechase Pier are other good vantage points.
For a more serene experience, Staten Island's shoreline is a good bet, especially Great Kills and Conference House Parks. The western tip of the Rockaway Peninsula, Breezy Point is another quiet spot for whale-watching.
The best times for whale sightings are morning and afternoon when they're more likely to be feeding. Binoculars come in handy. Humpback whales are known for causing a lot of activity on the water's surface. Seabirds hovering over the ocean indicates a whale may be nearby because they feed on the fish that escape the mammal's maw. There's also the most obvious signs of a whale – a spout, or the most spectacular sight of all: a breach.
"Humpback whales are known for exhibiting various surface active behaviors – pectoral fin slapping, tail slapping, lunge feeding, breaching, so we want to keep an eye out for splashes," Ackerman said.
