Archives for August 2020

I will write a full report with more photos by Saturday afternoon

3 whales and a few Dolphins a grea t Friday on the waters of Monmouth County NJ

Well today was interesting all of a sudden it started pouring rain in Monmouth county for 1 hour but we were able to have a nice day whale watching after the rain.

A whale louse is a commensal crustacean of the family Cyamidae. Despite the name, they are not true lice (which are insects), but rather are related to the skeleton shrimp, most species of which are found in shallower waters. Whale lice are external parasites, found in skin lesions, genital folds, nostrils and eyes of marine mammals of the order Cetacea. These include not only whales but also dolphins and porpoises  

Most species of whale lice are associated with a single species of whale. They remain with their host throughout their development and do not experience a free-swimming phase.^[1] Although the relationship between a specific species of whale louse and a specific species of whale is more pronounced with baleen whales than with toothed whales, almost every species of whale has a louse species that is unique to it. With the sperm whale, the parasitic relationship is sex-specific. The whale louse Cyamus catodontis lives exclusively on the skin of the male, while Neocyamus physeteris is found only on females and calves.^[2]

Whale lice attach themselves to the host body in places that protect them from water currents, so they can be found in natural body openings and in wounds; with baleen whales they are found primarily on the head and in the ventral pleats. Around 7,500 whale lice live on a single whale.^[3]

With some species of whale lice, whale barnacle infestations play an important role. On the right whale, the parasites live mainly on callosities (raised callus-like patches of skin on the whales’ heads). The clusters of white lice contrast with the dark skin of the whale, and help researchers identify individual whales because of the lice clusters’ unique shapes.

The lice predominantly eat algae that settle on the host’s body. They usually feed off the flaking skin of the host and frequent wounds or open areas. They cause minor skin damage, but this does not lead to significant illness.

The development of the whale louse is closely connected with the life pattern of whales. The distribution of various lice species reflects migratory patterns.

We go whale watching in New Jersey from April till November, the best months for whale watching on the Jersey Shore.

This is a question many people ask? is there whale watching near me. The answer is yes We go whale watching 4 times a week in Monmouth County and can also book a private whale watching tour for you and your group during these uncertain time. We offer many trips whale watching trips in Ocean and Monmouth county.

whale watching near me

Bring the entire family on this exciting Belmar, NJ whale watching trip that you won’t soon forget! See why this is a great time to view whales off the coast of New Jersey!

call today and book your trip 732.451.6003 or online at

Coney Island, Amagansett, The Hamptons, Fire Island, Jones Beach, Rockaways, Sandy Hook, Long Beach Island, Lavallette and Point Pleasant Beach are not the only places to see whales, of course.

Despite what ANY whale watch company may claim, you can never really guarantee how many whales will be seen, or even if any whales will be seen, when you go whale watching. We can guarantee a free return ticket (aka “rain check”) if you don’t see a whale, but you can’t guarantee the whales themselves.

So here is a guarantee we will take you out again if you do not see a whale on your first trip, your 2nd trip is free!

That being said, the extremely high productivity of the Jersey Shore coastline area means that whales are usually here, often in good numbers, sometimes  and that’s why we have seen whales (at least 1) on over 99% of our trips since 2018. In fact w sometimes we go years without “skunking” (a “skunk” is whale watch industry slang for a trip in which no whales were seen). Most of the time we “skunk” it is due to fog rather than lack of whales (it’s hard to find whales when you can’t see!)

So while it is impossible to say for certain how many individual whales you will see when you go whale watching the most likely answer to this question is: probably between 1 and 5. Pretty vague, huh? Well, that’s because these animals are WILD. They are not captive creatures in the confines of a zoo or aquarium, and they certainly don’t perform tricks for our amusement.

These whales are wild animals that come here to feed in the biologically rich waters the New York Bight. Their abundance is determined by the amount of food available to them. At times (many times, actually) there are so many whales in the area that we can’t possibly visit with them all in the limited time we have on the water. But at other times it takes cooperation between all whale watch boats and fishing boats in the area to find just one or two whales. We never know what we will see when we leave the dock but that’s part of the fun of whale watching! It is unscripted and unpredictable.

Okay, so if we can’t predict exactly how many whales we will see, how about the best time to go look? When is that?

Well, once again it is impossible to say what time of day, or even what time of the year is best to go whale watching because the answer to that question also changes based on the amount of food (ie small schooling fish) available to the whales.

But before we get too hung-up on the total number of whales we might see, consider these questions: If whales had not been hunted to the brink of extinction would they be the iconic symbol of endangered wildlife that they are today?

Would it still be so exciting to see a whale if seeing one was commonplace?
Our crew works very hard to locate the whales, our naturalist gives an amazing guided tour and yes bring whatever you want to eat or drink

Jersey Shore whale watch has done over 80 trips whale watching call us 732.451.6003

I suspect not. Remember that these whales are endangered! Their numbers are only a small fraction of what existed in the pre-whaling era. One of the most exciting things about seeing a wild whale is simply encountering an animal which still teeters on the brink of extinction. It is estimated that less than 1% of people living on planet Earth will see a whale in their lifetime. Therefore, any time you see a whale, even one whale, you are truly privileged. To see many whales at one time, as we often do, is a sight VERY few people will ever get a chance to see.

We have the most experienced whale watching staff, they don’t just explain whales and talk about the great history of our lovely area, they are also very knowledgeable about your safety, our vessel is rated the #1 safest whale watching vessel Jersey Shore , make this the highlight of your summer, take a beautiful ride  around the Jersey Shore coastline  take a tour with us.

Jersey Shore  is one of the most spectacular whale watching places in the world. Many different species of whales can be seen here including the Minke, Humpbacks,  and the occasional North American Right Whale . Feeding on bunker, Krill and Squid along the coast between April  and November, you can catch a glimpse of majestic mammals breaching the surface of the water and playing along our shores.

In addition to our Spectacular Whales, be prepared to adventure alongside Bald Eagles, Diving Gannets, Gigantic Leatherback Turtles, Sea Loving Guillemots, Sensational Sunfish and much more!

If you dont see a whale you are welcome to come back for a free return trip! We have done over 80 trips and have only missed seeing a whale on 4 trips!

We go whale watching from the Belmar Marina , 4 times a week, We have the largest safest boat at the marina to get you to where the whales are feeding just off shore. Here are some photos from our trips. We include a free photo gallery link with every trip that our professional photographer takes, Bring your camera or cell phone whale watching is great photography. We sail every Wednesday Friday Saturday and Sunday from Belmar and We now offer trips from Point Pleasant on Wednesdays and Saturdays

To purchase tickets online for whale watching in Belmar with Bill McKim Jersey shore whale watch click here or call 732.451.6003

We had another great day whale watching.