Nothing To See Here, Just Some Hungry Hungry Humpback Whales

Hungry hungry humpbacks.

A boatful of Long Island fishermen enjoyed a whale of a close encounter this week, after two very friendly (or very oblivious) humpbacks came cruising by their fishing rig, their cavernous mouths agape as if screaming for krill.

Chris Spies, who recorded the cameo and posted it to Instagram, tells Gothamist he was tuna fishing about 30 miles south of the Shinnecock Inlet on Monday when he spotted the leviathan pair around noon. He said his group had been observing the humpbacks for about half an hour before they made their approach.

"It was pretty impressive," Spies recounted, explaining that the whales swam directly at the boat before swerving at the last minute, gracefully avoiding contact. They were "very casually feeding on the sand eels" the fishermen had used to bait the tuna, so Spies did not feel overly concerned about a potential collision.

"When [whales are] feeding on things like bunker that are more agile, they'll lunge feed and jump out of the water," he noted. (Recall the Rockawhale, likely going ham on some prey balls.) By contrast, he added, sand eels make for a "relatively gentle" snacking experience. Humpbacks "bubble feed" on sand eels (of which they can eat up to one ton per day, no sweat): They send big air pockets burbling up through their blowholes, corralling any unlucky quarry up toward the water's surface and into their waiting, open mouths. In the video, you can see the whales blowing spouts of water as they scoot toward the boat.

Spies said the cetacean sighting did not surprise him in the slightest; indeed, the fishermen "expected to see the whales, just not so up close and personal." When on a tuna expedition, Spies told Gothamist, he typically looks for signs of wildlife—whales, yes, but also dolphins and birds—that might feed on the bait, and as such, he's been seeing whales around for a few weeks now. Still, he added, Monday marked "the first time I've had one almost swim into the boat."

It's been a solid summer for whale sightings so far: As mentioned, sea titans have returned to Rockaway Beach in recent weeks, thanks to environmental improvements and the resurgence of their preferred fish, menhaden (i.e., bunker). So please, we beg you, if you are so lucky as to spot a whale on one of your aquatic outings, help us give the people what they want (whale content) by alerting our hotline: tips@gothamist.com.