Whales at the Jersey Shore

Whales are common along the Jersey Shore?  

So many people I talk to are amazed that whales are common along the Jersey Shore.  Many have spent their lives visiting or spending their summers here but have never seen one.  I am fortunate to have seen whales just about ever month of the year.  I have been awarded my good fortune by learning a few good tricks along the way.   

Want to see a Whale? 

Behaviorally whales will do a few things that are very noticeable.   The need to come up to the surface to take breaths of air.   When doing so you can see the outline of their body, their fluke(tail) or the spray given off as they exhale.   The spray is a signature move.  When the ocean is a bit choppy it may become increasingly more difficult to spot them.   The spray though will stand out as it rises above the horizon. 

Whales close to shore are feeding or looking for food.  Their abundant food source commonly know as bunker, can be seen in large schools making the water appear darker. Bunker also come up to the surface and splash around making them very recognizable.  

Here are a few tips for spotting a whale:

• Always keep your eyes scanning the horizon. 
• Look for their breath spray.
• Look for them breaching the surface.
• Look for areas where the water appears darker from schools of fish and focus on those areas.
• Look around at other people and notice if they are looking in a general direction.  There is a good chance that someone else may have already spotted one.
• Listen. Sometimes if the conditions are perfect you can hear them taking a breath or hear them breach the water's surface.
• If you spot one take notice what direction it is moving.  Once it goes under it may be a little while before it resurfaces again.
• Mornings can be the best as the winds are generally the lightest.  
• Best months: May, June, September and October

Although they are common you need to be looking for them to see them.   Days with light winds or winds out of the west, offshore are the best.  You can see their spray of water as they exhale at the surface.  As the winds increase and the ocean increasingly gets choppier they are more difficult to see. 

Humpback Whale: 

• Most common whale seen off the Jersey Coast 
• Size: Adults are 36 to 52 feet long, with females being slightly larger than males
• Color: Black on the back, with white on the belly and throat
• Markings: Distinctive markings on the underside of the flukes can be used to identify individual whales
• Head: Rounded head with bumps on the top of the rostrum and lower jaw

If you see a stranded whale or other marine mammal in distress call the Marine Mammal Stranding Center Hotline at (609) 266-0538 and always maintain a 150-foot distance from the stranded animal and yourself or your dog.