Whales in New York City area spark fascination, whale watching excursions: "Definitely a sight that does not get old"
NEW YORK - Whales have returned to our area in abundance, and they're staying longer.
A recent study shows some remain here as late as November.
CBS2's Steve Overmyer spent a day on a whale watching encounter, aboard the American Princess, New York's whale watching boat.
Capt. Frank DeSantis departs Sheepshead Bay in search of humpback whales looking for lunch.
"The beauty of this, and the fun of this, is that every trip is different. Somedays we're right up close to the beach, and some days we're 10-12 miles off shore," DeSantis said. "The whales determine it. We keep track of where our sightings have been, as well as where we're seeing bait, in terms of what the whales have been feeding on."
"This is the humpback whale. It is a baleen whale species," said Celia Ackerman of Gotham Whale.
"We're looking for a splash, or a spout, which would be a mist of water above the surface. Kind of looks like a cloud," DeSantis said.
Within minutes of starting the trip, the captain finds one. It was about five miles off the coast, with Manhattan still in view. If you're in the right place at the right time, the calm of the ocean can be broken by something fascinating.
"It's amazing. It's amazing. It's definitely a sight that does not get old," DeSantis said.
A lunging feed is when a whale forces their meal to the surface.
"In layman's terms, the big fish eats the small fish. That's exactly what we see here. There's a lot of small fish and nutrient-rich waters. Menhaden - A.K.A. bunker. That's what the whales here predominantly feed on," DeSantis said.
They winter in the Carolinas, where they live off their blubber. It's only in the spring the whales come north to find their five-star meals - fine dining in New York.
"Scientists already know that several whale species on the East Coast are also in feeding grounds are starting to shift," Ackerman said.
Conservation efforts that started in the '70s are showing results. Our waters are once again full of nutrients.
"Well, I think you could say we have a very healthy ecosystem. Very clean waters in the sense of there's a lot of fish around," DeSantis said.
The crew catalogues each sighting. Their identifying marks are on their tails.
"The pattern on the underside of the tail or the fluke is unique to each whale. The same as the way no two people have the same set of fingerprints," Ackerman said.
So far this year, they've logged around 250 different humpbacks. Some they even recognize.
"Especially when we see returning whales from previous seasons that we know. It's like seeing an old friend again," said Ackerman.
For four hours, Overmyer watched from a safe distance, never intersecting the path of the whales or dolphins, but for a fleeting moment catching a glimpse of their beauty.
A shared experience, creating a memory of a lifetime.