Sunday 8/14/22 Species Report

3 humpback whales! 🐋

And two smaller groups of dolphins I will add even more photos Monday night , been a bi=use few weeks i have lots of photos to upload

5 whales! That is right 5 whales today a beautiful day on the ocean,very calm ocean conditions photos will be posted Sunday

Thursday 8/11/22 Species Report

2 humpback whales 🐋
30 bottlenose dolphins 🐬
1 osprey 🦅
1 common loon (out of season) 🪶
1 unidentified shearwater 🪶

We had another beautiful day at Whale WAtching Naturalist humpback whale off the Sandy Hook we were out on the ocean for about 3 1/2 hours beautiful day a little bit of a bumpy road on the way back because of winter picked up people who wanted to get sprayed by the ocean waves got it people wanna avoid it were able to avoid it.

we go whale watching seven days a week from Belmar two days a week from point Pleasant and two days a week from Keyport marina plenty of trips plenty of summer fun stuff behead will be running trips all the way till mid November we have the longest whale watching season on the East Coast of United States.

Linda writes:

Another hot day, another day to escape onto the water! With the past couple of days with whales in the Avon, Asbury Park and Long Branch area, I thought this would be an easy trip for whale watching. Well we kept heading north because we couldn’t find a whale. It was fun speaking to some of the other whale watchers as there was a family from New Mexico. First time they were ever on the Atlantic Ocean! As we approached the Highlands, saw something jump up out of the ocean. My guess is a spinner shark and others seem to agree but I really do not know. Shortly after that, it seemed the entire boat yelled “whale” as we saw it off to our right. He then decided to put on a show with frequent lunge feeds, deep dives with showing his flukes and 1 very close swim by the boat. That is when I realized how much smaller this whale (#258) was compared to others we have seen. Even got pictures of lunge feeding with the Highlands, and Verrazano Bridge serving as backgrounds. We had travel.a distance  but of course we did have to go home.

The trip home was going against the wind and swells and if you wanted to stay dry, you needed to be inside. Some brave people did stay outside but not me! On the way home, around Asbury Park, a whale was reported to have lunge fed and showed his tail. Danielle, the naturalist did get a picture so she will be able to identify that whale. We also went by hundreds of cow nosed rays ( a group of rays is called a fever). Also saw Osprey, both fishing and on their nest. Another day, another adventure!! Seeing lunge feeding is exciting!

What an awesome trip Friday August 5th

We had a Minke whale off the Beach just North of Asbury Park, that was our first Minke whale this year.The Minke whales are very fast movers and are about 20 feet long this was a big one.We then encountered 2 humpback whales near the beach in Deal New Jersey . We often see whales from Deal and Long Branch north towards Sandy Hook. Our 4th whale was also a humpback whale, in a little deeper water about 1 mile from shore. The group loved it we had people from the Uk and several states way outside our area. Please tell your friends about Jersey Shore Whale Watch and we hope to see you  all again one day. Bill McKim and crew Jersey SHore Whale Watch

Linda writes:

What a day! As we were approaching the last bridge before we “head off into mammal territory”, the ocean, I took a picture. It was 1:33 pm on my camera. I already had spout picture at 1:38! I didn’t bother with some of the earlier spouts. There were 2 whales, # 73 and # 94 right off of Avon!

They put on a show for us! We had multiple lunge feeds above the surface as well as slightly under the surface. Saw the tails so many times. Also exciting was that they were checking us out! They headed towards us several times, went around the back and actual surfaced right by the left bow of the boat. Got great pictures of body parts because the 2 of them were so close! Fantastic! After a while, the whales got tired of us, so we’re headed south looking for dolphins. Along the way, a few people spotted a small shark and we saw many cownosed rays.
Best comment I heard was a little girl asked her Mom, “what did the whale say” as the whale spouted. Mom’s response was “I don’t speak whale”. Sometimes, I wish I could and find out what they think about us.
Lots of room on the boat today and it was a great way to beat the heat. Had a family from Pennsylvania on the boat and the Mom just wanted to stay on the ocean because every other day she is on land. Glad I get to enjoy the Jersey Shore regularly!

More pictures later or tomorrow

Early morning Dolphin/shark watching trip. Danielle saw a shark about 3 feet down in the water but that was it for sharks. Trip was so refreshing in light of the temps reaching over 90 today. Found dolphins within 9 minutes of leaving the dock! Felt like the dolphins were giving us a tour to the Jersey Coast! Not a bad idea since we had people from Canada and Florida on the boat. The dolphins were headed north and we slowly followed and also circled around. All sides of the boat had dolphins. Some dolphins were breaching and others tail slapping while still others kind of quietly went along. The people on the boat were also quite as I think they were awed by the dolphins. Eventually we continued up the coast without them. The water was so blue, reflecting the clear sky! There were so many bunker fish all over. The pool of menhaden were huge and all over. Some bunker fish were jumping up into the air while we passed other pods with thousands of fish. Saw a few cownosed rays.Also saw an Osprey catch a late breakfast and head home with his catch. What a wonderful way to start a day!–

Afternoon Whale watching trip

We had a very active whale maybe 2 whales of the Sandy hook area

We had a very active humpback whale today Monday August 1st.This has been our best season ever, tell your friends we are booking trips from Belmar and Point Pleasant marinas 7 days a week. Jersey Shore whale Watch has over 10 trips a week right now. Grab your friends and enjoy a day on the ocea.We guarantee you will see a whale. Now till mid November

Humpback whale young at playJersey Shore Whale Watch #shorts

We had another successful whale watching trip once again we were off the sea bright Sandy Hook area about 5 miles offshore oil put on a great show for everybody everybody and all sides of the boat got tail

shots here’s a few from today

I knew today was going to be special as i was looking out at the ocean views from my home and saw several hundred dolphins going by in the early morning light.

The whale watching trip did not disappoint, there was no need for our iron clad whale watching guarantee. “If you don’t see a whale, you get to return for a free trip during the same year, so you can see a whale”
Here are some photos from todays trip

Difficult to pick a favorite, which one do you like the best?

More info to follow here are a couple photos from todays close encounter

I have heard it said many times that every whale watching trip is different. This one was surely different in all positive ways! Within 15 minutes of leaving the dock, we came across some dolphins. What I thought was a small pod was actually quite a large pod. They were on all sides of the boat and put on a nice show! Two young adventurers Owen and Ryan helped me find more and more dolphins. We had to leave the dolphins because we wanted to get to see the whales. Off we went searching the horizon for spouts when all of a sudden we did not see a spout, we saw a breach! It was far out but you knew it was a whale! Turns out it was whale #123 who we have seen several times this year as well as in past years. Danielle, the naturalist, is so quick at recognizing tail pattens!

What was so different about this trip? Well, usually when we get to see a whale’s tail, people cheer or you hear “oohs and aahs”. This time, the boat erupted into applause each time we got to see the whale’s tail! But that wasn’t the only surprise! Whale #123? wanted to play with us. He startled us with a loud exhale as he came up on one side of the boat. I am sure some people must have gotten some spray from his spout! He also swam under the boat and came up close on the other side. He also circled behind the boat so he was just having fun watching us as were were watching him! It was awesome!
Unfortunately it was time to head home and we had to say goodbye to the whale.
I overheard a conversation of a person thanking the crew for today’s experience. He said it “far exceeded his expections”! That summed it up beautifully, you hope to see a whale but to have an experience like today was extra-ordinary. Nature is incredible!

When you look at the whale pictures and you see whale body parts like blowholes and tails that do not fit into the picture, it is because, yes, the whale was that close! Wonderful day!

We had a new humpback whale today, a beautiful day with a pretty full boat. Joking us soon this is peak whale watching season in New Jersey, we also saw dolphins on the morning trip. A great day on the ocean and our trip from point Pleasant

was also success in seeing a whale.\

We have been seeing whales on all our trips from point pleasant so if you are in the seaside heights area or Bayhead look for our point pleasant trips every Wednesday afternoon and Sunday 3pm for tickets call us at 732.451.6003 or buy online below you can also change your date at no extra fee

Linda writes the review today:
A little girl on the boat had a shirt on that said, “ride with Unicorns and swim with mermaids. It was that type of magical day! After all, It is World Whale and Dolphin Day!
We were still at the dock when an American Bald Eagle flew overhead and down the Shark River. At least 3 Ospreys were on the nest as we left the inlet. Cownosed Rays today. Always fun to see. At least 3 of us also saw a small shark. We came upon some very active dolphins on both sides of the boat. That was a lot of fun watching them and as they swam away, we were off to find a whale.Now here comes the magical part! There was a spout, but actually there were 2 spouts, one at our left side and one in front and to the left. The Captain placed us between the 2 whales but the one to the right was very active and lunge feeding. The other was much more reserved. How do you watch 2 different whales in 2 different directions and lots and lots of bait fish around?This was exciting as the one whale lunged and fed several times. These were whales # 250 and # 257. During this time, Danielle had mentioned another whale being seen. Later, there were spouts to our South and off we went! But wait, not one but 2 whales who were swimming together. These were # 94 and # 123. This was interesting because Gotham Whales has been documenting whales in the NJ/NYC area for 10 years so we have whales that have been around for several years as well as ones saw this year for the first time. These whales were not feeding and just enjoying the day I guess.
Watching them spouting and then swimming and showing their tails was beautiful. Thanks to the Captain, we had an extra 1/2 hour to observe our whales. Eventually, it was time to head back home. Saw more rays. One highlight was watching an Osprey select fish and dive into the water to grab it. Then the Osprey Carrie’s it home grasped by their might talons. It truly was a magical day. There was even a bachelorette party on board. Once again, I heard the common statement “I never knew you could see whales here “( right off of the NJ coast). It was hot but nothing like the land temperature!

More pictures later as they are still downloading.

We had another great whale watching trip today Wednesday we are up in the Sandy Hook area we saw very active humpback whale and an osprey feeding trying to fish back to its nest think about coming with us Friday we are going to go looking for dolphins shorts and seabirds on the morning trip it’s a less expensive trip it’s a great introduction to being out in the ocean if you haven’t been there before join us soon read a reviews we promise you a good time in the weathers going to be fabulous. There is no trip Thursday as the ocean will be too rough with Highwinds so join us Friday 10 AM dolphins and sharks for 1:15PM whale watching

Thursday 7/14/22 Species Report

50+ bottlenose dolphins 🐬
1 lunge feeding humpback whale! 🐋

Well we made our best effort,but sometimes the whales elude us and we traveled for 3 solid hours looking and we did find the following

Wednesday 7/13/22 Species Report

1 group of 10 bottlenose dolphins 🐬
1 group of 30 bottlenose dolphins 🐬
4 cownose rays (why is there no stingray emoji!)
4 ospreys 🦅

I feel like we are a baseball team on an amazing winning streak yes it once again we saw two humpback whales Asbury park close to Belmar beautiful trip perfect weather here are some photos from the trip hope you take the time to come out with soon.

Greeting From Asbury Park, and the 2 humpback whales put on quite a show

Linda writes

How do you follow an incredible whale watching day like yesterday? By having
one just as incredible ! Okay, maybe slightly less incredible but what a great day. Weather was perfect and the seas fairly calm for this adventure. We headed back to a similar location as yesterday but not as far north as Long Branch. There was a report earlier that 2, whales were in the area. We searched but did not spot anything. We started heading further East when we saw a spout, actually two! Unbelievable, we found 2 of the three whales that we saw yesterday. At times they were just “hanging out” but they followed that with some lunge feeding behavior and diving while showing their flukes. One even breached infront of our boat further out. These were whales # 11 and 86. Jerry 2 days in a row! He is definitely a fan favorite. He was seen closer to NYC earlier in the week so he is moving south, maybe he wants to check out what Belmar has to offer? It was another great group of adventurers on the boat, including those celebrating birthdays and wedding anniversaries. We saw Ospreys, Black Crowned Night Herons, Great Egret, and a Great Shearwater.
Today again we had people who have been to Alaska to see whales say they never knew whales were here! They walk away impressed with what they see here at the Jersey Shore.

New Jersey best whale watching tour company, we guarantee you will see a whale.

Linda writes:

Wow oh wow oh wow! What a day. As we were getting ready to depart the inlet, we saw the Shark Week Blimp that is traveling up the eastern coast. Fun start. Saw the Osprey and Black crowned Night heron. Off we went heading northeast towards the Long Branch area where they were seeing whales all week! Saw some dolphins and kept going to find the whales. Found a whale who was taking some deep dives and showing his flukes. Meanwhile, Danielle announces there are 2 spouts to the East about a mile out. We headed there and watched the 2 whales for awhile when all of a sudden there was a triple lunge feed! The third whale was the whale we had been watching. Quite honestly, not sure how many whales we saw! Was watching one whale on the right and then there were 2 on the left. Was it 3 or 4? We were treated to multiple lunge feeds to the delight of everyone on board! There also may have been a shark or 2 lout there. On the way home, another whale was spotted and it was lunge feeding. What a wonderful crazy day! There was a bag piper at the Belmar fishing Pier. What a day! One of the whales that we saw was Jerry, #11. You can recognize him easily by his old propeller scars on his body. He has been a regular each summer and so glad to see him and know he is doing well. The other thing of note is how loud the whales were when they were breathing. Seemed very loud today. Saw several Great Shearwaters and a Corey Shearwater. What a day! How can it get any better!
Most off my pictures are still downloading so more pictures later.

Here is passenger Sandy’s review

What a fantastic whale watching trip today! I had one goal and that was to see the Shark Week Blimp. Turns out it came to us. We were still docked when Linda spotted it, of course, she is great at spotting sharks! 😂 How ironic we spotted the Shark over the Shark River! That ended up being the only time we saw it close up. We then headed north to Long Branch where the whales have been spotted all week. We passed some dolphins on the way that rode our wake for a bit. We wanted to try to find the whales first so we didn’t stop. We found one whale and watched it for a little while and then Danielle spotted two more a little further east so we went to see them. One ended up being an old favorite #11, named Jerry after Jerry Garcia, I heard he was in the area. So glad we got to see him. The first whale came and joined the other two. At one point there were whales on both sides of the boat. You didn’t know which way to look. Then they joined up and did a triple lunge feeding. I missed most of it unfortunately but those whales weren’t done. They lunge fed a bunch more times and sometimes I even got pictures of it. There were so many fish at the surface you kept expecting the whales to pop up between them. Only once did the whales come up were I thought they would. We hung out with them as long as we could but then had to head back. Wouldn’t you know it. There was another whale right in front of us a little further south. So we watched for it as we headed that way and what do you know, it lunge fed also. Amazing whale day! As we headed back into the inlet we heard bagpipes. Took us a while to spot him on the Fishing Pier. Now I have high expectations for tomorrow. 😂 Stopped by to see the swans on my way home. They are getting so big.

Friday 7/8/22 Species Report

3 humpback whales! 🐋
100+ dolphins 🐬
1 osprey 🦅

Frequent passenger Patty writes:
Quite a day when they have to decide “which whale should we go see 1st?” There were 3, possibly 4 to pick from! We saw more than one shark feeding on the way out to the whales too. #1 was checking out the boat, feeding below the surface when it decided to start lunge feeding. It’s quite cool to see, as the bait fish seem to “boil” on the surface before the whale comes up. It swam under the boat, coming up right next to us. There were some dolphins swimming with the whale as well. #2 was out about another mile or so, but once we got close, it gave us a good look at more lunge feeding behavior. The Osprey pics stink, but it shows how they carry their catch.

Location we were mostly off the beaches of Monmouth Beach ,Sea Bright and Long Branch on Friday join us soon, there is plenty of seating, yes we have bathrooms, yes you can bring a baby stroller or a walker
Yes you can bring beer!
Feel free to bring your own food or but on board, coolers are welcome

Their is air conditioned seating at spacious tables inside the cabin
We run trips from Belmar Point Pleasant and sometimes Keyport
This is our 5th year doing whale watching trip, that’s all we do we don’t get involved with fishing and other actives so if you wish to be guaranteed to see a whale, make sure you book with Jersey Shore Whale Watch, and also check out our beautiful merchandise we ship daily

Merchandise is on our website www.billmckim.com

Passenger Linda writes

Another day on the water although conditions were not ideal. Heavy cloud cover in Belmar and south, blue sky to the North East. Heading out of the inlet saw the Osprey and the Black Criwbed Night- Heron. Went North to where they have been seeing the whale all week, around the Long Branch area. Suddenly, notice the Captain make a turn and that usually means there is excitement ahead! Danielle, the naturalists, says they see a whale about a mile out and everyone needed to come off the bow while we were traveling because we were hitting some swells. This as we can see the whale breach! Then as we are traveling East, the whale breached at least one more time!. Finally we get closer and back on the bow and the whale was moving around rapidly at times and at other times seemed to be resting. Saw his flukes a few times. This is whale # 257 (I think) as identified by his flukes. Also he has the straight line scarring on his body.
We saw a pod of dolphins off Bradley beach on the way home but we were headed back to the dock . Everyday, every trip is a unique adventure. Think, 5 minutes earlier and we may have been right near the breaching whale!

Well I will to our own horn we had another fantastic day of whale watching both of Longbranch pier Village got some great photos and some video that I still need to upload you’ll be able to see it all here tonight or tomorrow morning here’s some photos from today if you were on the trip please take the time to leave a review on Google is important for us thanks we go whale watching seven days a week https://jerseyshorewhalewatchingtour.com

July 4-5, 2022
The fourth of July included sunny skies, calm winds, and stunning seas, a perfect combination to celebrate our independence day. Each trip provided its own unique sightings the 5th of July was choppy seas

We headed on our journey north towards a fresh whale sighting report by another boat of a whale off the red church in West Ned New Jersey , that was our landmark.The nice size crowd about 60 people were thrilled to be out on the ocean with the cooling ocean breeze.

I remembered meeting a 94 year old woman boarding the boat with her extended family, i made sure to give here a whale watching tshirt as a gift maybe i should do that for any passenger 90 years of age, its great to see them still so active.

On Tuesday, we were able to get a trip in before the forecasted weather was scheduled to flip upside down. We ventured to where we had luck with whales on Monday, Danielle saw a whale spout three times in the distance so we headed that only only to hear the crowd on the 2nd level boat roaring they were watching a different whale lunge feeding so we turned in choppy seas towards the closer whale and enjoyed a good show breach and lunge feeding off Long Branch Deal beach area.
I was just reminded we also saw two bottlenose dolphins swimming with the whale

A perfect weather day I will post a few more in the morning so check back.

From Linda

A beautiful July 4 th spent on the water. Sounds pretty good to me! Add in seeing a whale and it sounds great. Within the inlet saw a Great Egret and then the nest with 1 Osprey present. Today’s adventure headed north out of the inlet and the beaches were packed. Around Long Branch a whale was spotted that was also seen yesterday. Danielle thought it might be a “new whale” making it # 257 (different whales in the area over a 10 year period). This whale showed his flukes(tail) several times. That always delights the crowd. On the pictures you can see some straight lines on his body which are probably scars from being entangled in rope or fishing gear. Also of interest, in several of the pictures you can see a light green or white color in the water that are the whales fins that he uses for swimming. The fins are actually white. After spending time with this whale it was time to return home. Interesting that yesterday there were so many dolphins but none today. Several passengers mentioned that they could not believe that there were whales off of the coast of NJ. People come from so many various locations for whale watching. Today there was someone from Delaware. Back to the inlet and this time the Black Crowned Night Heron was there under the bridge. It has become a game trying to spot him. A wonderful adventure on the 4th of July! Hope everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday and made great memories!

Written by Linda, thanks as always Linda

Another fantastic adventure. Met a couple who are originally from Chile and live in Georgia. Had a lot in common and they became part of our whale watching group! We headed north because there was a report of 2 whales. But prior to that saw a few dolphins and then off we went to find a whale or two! As we were heading towards a boat who was watching a whale, we saw a spout to the East and tried to find him. Saw him a couple of times but he did not seem interested in us. Turned towards the original whale and saw it very near the other boat. He was taking it easy today, not sleeping but not very active. Never got to see his tail but Danielle, the naturalist, recognized the dorsal fin as whale # 250. We have seen him several times since May and sometimes he is very active and sometimes likes to relax like all of us. After awhile, we went east again and a spout was seen but couldn’t find the whale after that. On the way home, saw so many dolphins all around the boat. They are so much fun the watch! At one point the dolphins were throwing fish up in the air! Saw an Osprey with dinner fly by going towards land. In the inlet, the Osprey nest had 2 ospreys present whereas earlier there was only one. It was a beautiful day on the ocean. Water temp was 69 degrees. As our new friends said “ I can’t stop smiling”! That says it all.

LInda’s report
There were 3 whales spotted yesterday so the expectations were high for today. The weather was perfect to enjoy a day on the ocean. Saw the Osprey and the Black crested night heron and headed north towards Sea Bright and Sandy Hook but no luck. Everyone tried but could not spot a whale. Saw some unusual boats. They always say to always keep looking and sure enough, there was a whale. He must have been feeding right under the surface as he would surface but never showed his tail. He looked smaller than the typical humpback whales that we see and he may have been very young. I did not see any scars or marks like we typically see on the whales. After a while he seemed to disappear so we headed back to dock knowing we were going to be a half hour late since we spent so much time looking for the whale. Then as we were going, the sister ship was on a whale that was lunge feeding and may have breached. We were too far away to get a great look. Back to the inlet and now 2 ospreys were at the nest.

June 29th
Wednesday afternoon was a beautiful day! On our search for our fascinating mammals we passed Asbury Park, the infamous Pier Village, passed the Highlands and reached the beginning of the shipping channels by Sandy hook and saw an amazing view of the New York Skyline! Off of Monmouth Beach and Shrewsbury Rocks we met a gorgeous new humpback whale of almost 30ft, not more than 2 years of age! We joined him in his fast paced journey of feeding heading south and captured great views of his dorsal fin and flippers. On our journey back we caught sight that our sister ship the Miss Belmar Princess had also met two wonderful humpback whales and we were able to witness more lunge feedings and spouts! Overall a great trip, can’t wait for what we see next!
Michelle Naturalist Jersey shore whale watch

Great day, great adventure.

Tuesday 6/28/22 Species Report

3 humpback whales!
100+ dolphins
1 unidentified shark
4 ospreys

Sunday afternoon was an exciting trip and a full one with the sun blazing at 85°F! Off of Sandy Hook we found a beautiful humpback whale, about 30ft long moving rather quickly in its journey. We got to witness multiple feeding lunges, great shots of its dorsal fins, and a beautifully straight view of the tail fluke! For our bird lovers, we caught glimpses of a Great Cormorant, Osprey, a Bald Eagle, and more! For more sightings, come join us on our next trip! There was a 2nd breaching whale in the distance.

We had two whales one in the further distance it breached and lunged feeding but it was 3-4 miles past the whale that was closer so we never went there, maybe next time

Here is one of the reports on the whale we saw

I am not good at writing as most of you know. I am very tired form for days on the ocean here is the report from passenger Sandy S.

How do you spend a beautiful weekend? Whale Watching, of course. I went again today and so glad I did. We went back to the same place as yesterday, because a whale was reported there again today. It was a different whale than yesterday and this guy was hungry. He was moving around quickly and you could see the bunker jumping near the surface like crazy. He lunge fed a couple of times and then kept us on our toes. He was moving around a lot, but he was surfacing quickly so it was fun to try and keep up with him. We did this for about 30 minutes and then he started lunge feeding again. He did it right next to the boat and I was still watching the area when I saw the bunker literally flying through the air. And then there he was again! It was amazing. Thanks to Captain Alan, we got to spend an extra half hour with him. Just as we thought the show was over, he did it again! At least 6 lunges and several views of the tail. What a great day!

I have a few more reports coming in i will post them later tonight and more photos

Written by frequent passenger Sandy:

Beautiful day on the water. Probably the first time this year I left my winter coat at home. We headed north since two whales were spotted up by Sea Bright earlier. As we were going we saw a lot of birds and unfortunately, a lot of balloons also. ☹️ Linda and a few others on the other side of the boat were lucky enough to see a small shark as we passed by. It’s very strange. The sharks and turtles always seem to be on the starboard side. Luckily the whale is often on the port side where I’m standing. Anyway, it took us a while but we found a whale about 4 miles east of the Atlantic Highlands. It would take 2-3 breaths and then a deep dive. It was staying down most of the time for 10 minutes. Only got a glimpse of the top of its tail once until the last dive which happened nicely off the front of the boat. Then it was time to head back.

Photos by frequent passenger Patty of the dolphins today

We saw a couple Ospreys and about 50 dolphins today. We did not see a whale so everyone onboard get to come again this year to see a humpback whale, some times they do this

Monday 6/20/22 Species Report

1 bald eagle 🦅
2 ospreys 🦅
1 ocean sunfish 🐟
1 humpback whale 🐋
1 unidentified sea turtle 🐢

A beautiful afternoon of whale watching

here is what passenger Kelly wrote in here review:

Kelly hoherchak

My family had the most amazing trip whale watching found and spent a long time with a humpback! The crew was awesome, will go again for sure!

Photos will be posted later tonight

Linda says…

We started off and spotted a couple Ospreys in their nest on the other side of the inlet. Then once we got out to the ocean we headed north hoping to find the same whale that was very active yesterday. Danielle spotted an eagle. I couldn’t get my camera to focus on it but did get to see it. We were by Long Branch when we spotted a fin near the boat. It belonged to a Mola Mola or Ocean Sunfish. The captain circled around to get us closer. It kept popping up quickly. We finally got close enough to see it just below the surface. Then it disappeared and we went on our way to find a whale. It didn’t take very long when we spotted the same whale that was so active yesterday. We had high hopes that it might breach for us again today, but instead it swam next to the boat and near the surface. It seemed to be resting. This provided us some great looks at it. It took a while but then we finally got to see the tail. Only a side view but still worth it. As we headed back some people on the right side of the boat saw a sea turtle. I didn’t get to see it. Gorgeous day on the water!

I would say today was the best or 2nd best trip of the season, we had tailing throwing humpback whale , tail slapping humpback whale , breaching multiple times humpback whale, and plenty of dolphins.The winds were very strong today,but we were still able to get the the feeding grounds off sandy hook today and had an awesome day.

I am a bit tired I will post more photos Monday before we leave on Mondays whale watching trip!

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads

 I will add more whale photos from today in the morning 

From Linda

Today’s sea adventure began before the actual adventure. Weather was iffy and the winds picked up. Flags were straight out meaning they wind was really blowing. There was a possibility that the trip would be cancelled at the last minute. The positive was that a whale was seen earlier in the morning off of Deal and Long Branch and then aroubd 11 am near the Belmar/Spring Lake border. Decision was made to go since the whale was so close. Today’s fearless group of adventurers included people from West Virginia and Arizona and places in New Jersey like Princeton, Morristown and Toms River.
Did I say the wind was blowing? I actually got off of the bow of the boat before they asked us to step back off of it as we were leaving the inlet. Once we turned south, the land was blocking the westerly wind so the water was fairly calm. We left the dock at 1:30 pm and by 1:53 pm we were close enough to whale # 254 to get pictures. It was In the Sea Girt/ Manasquan area. It came up close to the boat at least 3 times, both sides and in front, with the closest passage seeming to be about 10 feet away. Engines were off so he was checking us out!, He was so close that I could not fit the entire whale in one picture. In most of the pictures you can see scarring on the whales body. That can be from getting hit by boats, injuries caused by other animals or entanglements from fishing type nets. This whale seemed to be feeding not far under the surface because he was not taking deep dives. At times the whale was in only 31 feet of water. Some of my pictures show how close he was to the beach. Wonder if the people on the beach noticed the whale and if not, they should have wondered what the boat was doing there! Hope the people didn’t have their faces in the phone and missed the beauty of nature. After 3 pm, the winds really picked up and the decision was to get to the dock early because trouble was brewing out on the water. On the way back there were some dolphins spotted. What a great adventure once again! Everyday is an adventure and everyday is a different experience as the whale watching is in the wild.

Passenger Linda writes:

When the temp is going to be over 90, it makes great sense to go out on a boat on the ocean. Went Whale watching with a small crowd of people from places like Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and also some relatively local like New Brunswick, Asbury Park, Lavalette and Belmar. As we left the dock and still in the inlet you could feel the temperature driop. It felt so good.
We headed north and near Bradley Beach and Asbury Park we found our first group of dolphins!. People were thrilled because the dolphins were all around the boat and were active. More than likely they were feeding so they were swimming and jumping as they went after the fish. We continued on and saw another pod of dolphins but we still wanted to see a whale. Saw at least 2 Ospreys; and at least one had dinner!
As we went past Sea Beight, in about 70 feet of water, there was the whale! It was # 250 and it was the same whale that we saw last week and had been in Sea Side prior to that. He was actively eating today as there were large amounts of menhaden fish in the area. He showed his tail a couple of times. What was fun was seeing his flippers because they are about a third the length of their body. So on this whale about 10 feet long. Even though Humpback whales are black, the flippers are white and underwater can look white or light green. The dolphins were in the viscinity of the whale and put on a major show. So many were jumping, breaching, flipping backwards. They were so exciting to watch and also listen to the people ooh and aah as they performed for us. We also had a lot of dragonflies flying around the boat. That was a new experience and seeing dragonflies is suppose to mean good luck, harmony, and fortune among other things. We are “treated” twice to whale breathe… it stinks! Too soon, it was time to go home and say good bye to the whale and dolphins . The wind picked up and the ocean spray coming off of the boat cooled everyon. . It was a fantastic day. with lots of smiles as people left the boat with some t shirt souvenirs they bought to help them remember this awesome trip.

Linda writes

When it is 88 humid degrees what better place to be but on a boat in the ocean? Funny thing is, what started as clear skies became a mixture of storm looking clouds and haze. We headed north out of the inlet and the haze was quite dense. We came across some dolphins and watched them for awhile before we kept heading north looking for more dolphins and whales. Went past SeaBright but no whale despite looking for spouts and the haze did not help. One of the few times that I couldn’t see NYC in the background. Unfortunately, we did have to turn around to go home but we were still searching for the whale. At this point, I had to add a light hoody because of the cool wind. Remember it was 88 degrees on land but the water temp was 66.

We saw too many balloons in the water today. That is so sad because they are commonly swallowed by whales and other wildlife and can kill the animals. Please discard of balloons properly and never release them into the air. They wind up in the ocean! We did stop once to pick up some balloons out of the water. There was a lot of activity on the water, from wind surfing, sail boating, surfing and swimming. Also be saw the Coast Guard boat and helicopter boat out.
On the way back ran into more dolphins and as it frequently happens, which direction do you look because they were to the left, in front and the right of the boat. They were active and there were some young dolphins in the group. Coming back to the dock, saw the Osprey on the nest and also saw a Black-Crowned Night Heron. Today was quite an adventure; you never know what excitement a day on the ocean will bring.

Join us soon on our 3 times a week morning dolphin tour and our 7 days a week Belmar whale watching trips. We also off trips from Point Pleasant marina and Keyport marina to go whale watching. Any questions call us at 732.592.6400

From passenger Linda: Her report

Such a great day on the water: weather was perfect and the ocean was calm. Whale watching has become so popular! Today there were people from Germany, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan and those were only the people I spoke to! A woman was celebrating her birthday week (I like that idea)! There was also a school outing from NYC and the students were running to the boat as they made the boat with no time to spare!
Out of the inlet we headed north past Asbury Park, Long Branch and found some active dolphins. They were fun to watch but we continued on because we were looking for a whale. Again we found some dolphins and we continued on in search of the whale. We went to the SeaBright area because that is where we frequently see whales but no luck today so we headed back but Of course, still searching for that spout! Suddenly, Danielle the Naturalist, spotted a sea turtle but they tend to be skittish and went underwater and we couldn’t find him. But as we circled around, there was a spout! A humpback whale! Watched it for a bit and then he moved away from us and then he was gone. We tried so hard to find him but to no avail. Saw an Osprey carrying home dinner. Such an enjoyable day. Another awesome adventure!

I wanted to share this review from today :  This passenger was one of our first 6 passengers on our first trip ever

What a fantastic afternoon! We had numerous whale sightings today, and saw dolphins galore! Bill McKim was a fabulous host and runs a great tour! Many thanks to our wonderful captain. Kudos to Danielle, the superbly friendly and knowledgeable naturalist, Michelle, the naturalist intern, and merchandise maven Ann Marie. I was on the Jersey Shore Whale Watch tour as an original passenger, and was so happy to bring my friend today to experience the fun. Thank you, Bill and staff! What a great day! I’ll be back with more friends! 🐳

The whales and a few hundred dolphins returned today the weather was spectacular read the reviews! Wow was it beautiful.

This is Linda’s trip report, She loves being on the ocean

Spent an absolutely beautiful day on the ocean whale watching! It never gets old as each day is different. We headed out of the inlet and headed north. No activity as we passed through Asbury Park, Deal, Long Branch so we kept headed north. Thought we were going to the “tip of the Hook” when we took a hard right. Now where? Headed towards 2 cargo ships where there was a report of a whale and sure enough, Danielle, the naturalist, found one! This humpback was feeding and at the time, the bait fish were more towards the ocean floor than the ocean surface so were did not see any feeding behavior at that time. The young humpback was moving towards the shore so the ocean depth changed dramatically. At one point, we saw an Osprey and some dolphins so of course, there was the humpback! They were all looking for some fish to eat! The whale was increasing activity as we spent more time with it, seemingly checking us out on the boat. Then the bait fish were seen closer to the ocean surface. Maybe the whale would demonstrate some feeding activity! Sadly, even with the extra 1/2 hour that the Captain gave us, it was time to leave to make the bridge opening. As we headed off, we are always told to look behind the boat, because the whales may show off. As we were a good distance away, all I could do is put my hands to my head and say, “oh no” as clearly the whale breached. What a terrific day.

Sunday afternoon was a fantastic whale watching trip. We saw a humpback whale breach over 12 times, including 3 times in a row, the small crowd on the boat was really treated to a special day. I hope you all get a chance to come out whale watching with us. We try very hard to bring you to where the whales are, not just a circular boat ride like the other boats do.
We also saw a few dolphins, and soon we should start seeing sea turtles and sharks as the water gets warmer, all along the coast of Monmouth County. The video below was taken by Anne Marie, who helped sell t-shirts on the boat. She did a spectacular job of capturing the whale below 3 times in a row with the roar of the crowd in the background. Do us a favor, please leave us a comment on YouTube about the video, it helps us with engagement. When you see her on the boat, be sure to mention that you saw her amazing video.
So get your grip together, family and friends, go out whale watching with us, and create lifetime memories. As we are now starting our fifth year of whale watching in Belmar, we always stay close to shore and you can always see land, and if you need to change your trip date for any reason we allow you to do so.

Thank you and see you soon,
Bill

I’m too tired to write s proper post so here is long time passenger Sandy’s report of Saturday night sunset whale watch

Whale watching sunset trip tonight! Found two whales and hundreds of dolphins almost immediately. We started following them near Asbury Park and ended up by Belmar and Spring Lake! It was great to spend so much time with them. While waiting for the whales to come back up we could see lots of dolphins off in the distance. We just began our trip back to the inlet when I turned around to look back at the boat. All of a sudden the whale was right next to the boat. I wasn’t quick enough to get a picture so looking forward to seeing the ones Linda got.

you can view more photos here https://www.boardwalkprints.com/Whales/Sunset-whale-watching-trip-May-2022-Belmar-Fishing-Club/i-VtwFGTc

Another review from Saturday sunset whale watching trip

Passenger Linda

Oh what an evening! On the hottest day of the year, went whale watching for an Evening Whale Watching and Sunset Cruise. So glad I had the opportunity to be on this cruise. Yes it was hot as we boarded the boat, but definitely cooler just being at the dock then inland a block or two. Having friends in the boat made it even more enjoyable.
Would you believe that I had to wear a sweatshirt to keep warm? Could have even used another layer. We headed north, and went past Asbury Park and off of Long Branch, not 1 but 2 whales were spotted in addition to many, many dolphins! The whales were coy and not showing their tails very often. The dolphins were amazing and sometimes were more exciting than the whales. Several times we saw the dolphins swimming right with the whales! It was so relaxing and mesmerizing watching the wildlife in their natural habitat.
As it was announced that we were leaving the whales, which by this time had led us back to the Belmar area, one of the whales wanted to say goodbye! Sandy yelled ” over there”, to which I swung my camera around and started clicking away. The whale was right next to the boat and had tail lobbing or other activity as we headed away from it. I think only a few people saw it because it was on the opposite side of the boat from where we had last seen the whales and also because people started looking at the sunset. One passenger was standing in the right spot and saw the event in its entirety and was amazed! “Up close and personal” to say the least. I am paraphrasing what he said!
The haze made the sunset sky glow pink. Beautiful evening, wonderful trip
We also removed a balloon from the ocean. I now despise balloons because people don’t deflate them and they get released and wind up in the ocean. More than likely, meaning they end up in a whale or another animal’s stomach. Not good!
Another amazing day on the water again!

Well today we went out on our anniversary trip whale watching tours in May 2018

We were treated to a great show today

Facebook

post by longtime passenger Sandy:
Fifth Anniversary whale watching trip was a great success! Beautiful day on the water. We found dolphins right away by Asbury Park and then more as we went farther north. There were hundreds of very active dolphins off of Sea Bright. They were so much fun to watch. Saw several of them breach. We had to leave them when a whale was spotted. The whale took several deep dives and gave us great views of its tail. After hanging with that whale for a while we went looking for another one reported closer to Sandy Hook. No luck finding that whale so we headed home. We thought we were finished for the day when Danielle spotted another whale off of Long Branch. We weren’t there long when it gave us a spectacular show. We got to see some tail throws and lots of tail slapping. It was the perfect finale for a great trip! Looking forward to the 5th season!

Motor photos and vifro will no posted Thursday by noon

5 years to the day May 18th 2018 was our first trip on the smaller boat the Skylarker.Since then we have used many different boats for whale watching.

Join us Wednesday for a nice 5 hour trip and celebrating 5 years of running whale watching tour from the Belmar Marina.

We will have many surprises and lunch will be provided i hope you like subs

get tickets today it would be nice to have about 24 passengers on this trip, tell your friends

Wednesday May 18th the weather looks perfect

we sail at 1:30pm till 6:30pm

bring beer! Lol

Sunday the weather finally allowed us to go whale watching. The ocean water was a nice 55 degrees and there was considerable fog at times during the trip.
We saw dolphins off of Seabright and that was it. On the trip where the weather just kept changing constantly the ocean condition was fine it was just but visibility was no good because we’ve had fog basically for like a week.
we should be fine going forward the good news is everyone that was on the JERSEYshorewhalewatchingtour trip qualified for a free return trip because we didn’t see a humpback whale. So book your trip soon prices are a little bit higher because of the crazy diesel prices that we’re paying for fuel so get out there get some fresh air it’s a great day you can bring your own food bows whatever you like get your crew together come out and have some fun see you soon.

Meet our newest crew member
Bill

We are going whale watching Saturday May 21st at 5:30pm join us sunset and whales

If you’ve been dreaming of watching whales in the wild, you can do so right from Belmar on this 3 hr sunset cruise. Belmar is known as an area for humpback whales as hundreds of the giant creatures travel this way every year. Get more than a glimpse of migrating whales from your spacious vessel with viewing decks, and enjoy the colors of the sunset at the same time. Whale sightings are guaranteed.
Learn more about the importance of these enormous mammals bring your favorite Snacks and refreshments.
The perfect end to a day whale watching and a sunset along the jersey shore

Read more about Half-Day Whale Watching Sunset Cruise from

Book sunset whale watching trip today

Whale Watching Sunset Cruise

We had a great whale watching trip today many photos to process here are a few the rest will be posted Monday by noon time .

Saturday’s trip started as just a beautiful day on the ocean we headed north towards Sandy Hook area. Where were we in for a surprise, the first humpback whale we saw I was putting on a good show I was taking some pictures that I said let me put Facebook live on so the people online could see.

Report from passenger Linda, as very frequent whale watcher

“So today was a most incredible whale watching trip. There was a report of a whale off of Sandy Hook so after a brief look around for dolphins as we were headed there, we wasted no time to get to our destination. There is was, a humpback whale off of Sandy Hook and it was going along and suddenly breached. Wow! After spending time with that whale, another whale was spotted about 1 or 2 miles away that was lunge feeding. This whale was hungry! He lunge fed so many times and sometimes very close to the boat. What a day! We were all sharing pictures even before we got back to the dock. Met so many wonderful people whale watching today! This was a fantastic day, probably one of the top 3 whaling days I have experienced over 3 years. Advice if you are thinking about going whale watching: go now! It might be a little colder right now but the boat is not crowed. Easy to see all the action and there is plenty of it! You can always go into the cabin to warm up.”

As I am doing this the humpback whale does a full breach of the entire whale’s body including the tail out of the ocean to the thrill of the crowd on the boat. I just looked at it as I was fumbling with my iPhone instead of photographing with my big camera. One of the passengers got this photo I’m not sure who took it yet it’s been passed around a lot so I’m not really sure I was lucky person to get this image.
The captain spotted a second humpback whale about 2 miles away and enjoyed watching at lunge feed some very large lunches that almost looked like a breach, Saturday was just a great day of whale watching people were thrilled it’s been an amazing start of the season I couldn’t of ever guessed that we would see whales on nine out of 10 trips that’s the way the season has started.
Get your tickets come on out enjoy some fresh air, make great lifetime memories.
I hope to see you soon at Jersey Shore Whale Watch. One last not our oldest passenger this year was Saturday 90 years old with a 91 birthday in a few weeks. Happy birthday Charles

What an Amazing Day Whale Watching!!

If you were on today’s trip please take the time to leave reviews for us the important thanks

We traveled pretty far north today to the tip of Sandy Hook

hotorown

We had a nearly full boat for a nice 3 hour tour today where we saw miles and miles of dolphins. We didn’t see a whale today so people on todays trip had awesome weather and get to come again this season to make sure they see a whale.

Here are some photos from todays trip

Who is saw the whale off of Seabright today ocean conditions were rougher than normal so we decided not to try to follow the well and we will give people who are on today’s trip a free trip so they can come out and really experience we are watching we did see some dolphins it was a beautiful trip on the way out to see in the world but on the way back it was a spirited ride . Happy Easter and Passover, we rest Sunday no trips Sunday.

Four for Four!

Here are some photos from todays trip. Say hello to “Ocean” that is the name the children on the boat named our new whale. So this year if we see him again we can say hello “ocean”, thanks Theo

We had a humpback whale plenty of birds including two Ospreys in a nest and a bald eagle

April 13, 2022

We had another nice trip today whale watching it was cold but still beautiful with the wind making NYC skyline light up from the boat
We had one possibly two humpback whales today

April 10, 2022
Two for Two Sunday!
Today was the second day of our 2022 season and we topped our first day by finding not one but two humpback whales!! We headed north in the same direction where we found Squirt yesterday. We had to search a little harder today. We passed Long Branch and were up by Sea Bright when we first spotted Squirt. Everyone was so excited to see him. We could see on the fish finder that there was a very large amount of bait fish and Squirt was moving fast under the water feeding on all the bunker fish. As we were trying to keep up with him we spotted a different humpback whale feeding in the same area. We did not get a look at the whale’s tail flukes so we do not know yet if it is in our catalog. We named this whale Cowboy in honor of our two passengers who were visiting from Texas. What a great start to our season! Two days out and two different humpback whales. Our next trip is this Wednesday at 1:30 and then again on the weekend. Come on out with us as we look for Squirt and Cowboy and maybe a new whale you can name. Don’t miss out- book your trip today! We have a heated indoor cabin and plenty of room on our two levels of decks. We also offer gift certificates- whale watching is a great gift for Mother’s Day. You know Mom really just wants to spend time with her family so this is the perfect gift. Whale watching gives you memories to last a lifetime!
Trisha DeVoe, Naturalist
Jersey Shore Whale Watching

Opening day of whale watching season is this Sunday and the first 25 booked passengers receive a free Jersey Shore Whale Watching t-shirt, book now weather looks good. See you all Sunday 1:30pm as always

I just got back from chasing two whales on the beach in Belmar and then they moved north to Avon By THe Sea , Here are some of the photos, I wish we were on the boat we would have been really close.This is the best i could do from land!

We saw a rare north Atlantic right well off the coast of Asbury as you can see in the photos it was just a couple miles off shore. This was our regular Wednesday whale watching trip, instead of seeeing a couple humpback whales we were treated to a rare sight something never expect to see you again.

I know most of of never seen these photos so I wanted to share them with you again. All of us on the boat we’re absolutely thrilled, a  once in a lifetime experience to just randomly run into the rarest whale in the Atlantic ocean.

Get your group together to book your regular whale watching trip soon we start again in the late spring April leaving from Belmar Marina our trips run till late November  see you soon,  Bill and crew.

Here are some photos taken with my Canon R5 camera and a 500mm lens. The cropping of the photos make the North Atlantic Rightwhale appear closer than it was, this way you can see all the detail and Asbury Park NJ in the background. Our naturalist was attentive and called the coastguard station immediately to let them know a NARWHALE was in the area, USCG notified all boaters via radio to stay away from the area.

Lawmakers propose grant for programs to save endangered right whales

Story at a glance

• U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the Right Whale Coexistence Act.
• The legislation will set up grants, which will be open to tribal agencies, research institutions, nonprofit organizations, vessel owners and operators, members of maritime industries and others with “required expertise.”
• Preliminary estimates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show there are fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales in existence.

https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/environment/594916-lawmakers-propose-grant-for-programs-to-save

We have a new 2 hour morning dolphin eco tour from Belmar Marina . This is a new tour will start when the children are out of school 5 days a week. Guide by our award winning naturalist team.

We will leave Belmar marina and follow the dolphins and an occasional whale or other sea life. Nice early day trip,allows families t still have a long day on the beach in Belmar trip is 9:30am to 11:30am any questions call us at 732.451.6003

Whale Watching Season
The best time for whale watching in New Jersey is from April to late November, though whales dwell in Jersey waters as early as mid-March and as late as early December. Whales migrate to area to feed on Atlantic Menhaden, mackerel, herring, krill, and other schooling fish that breed in these nutrient-rich waters. However, as soon as the cold weather settles in, they travel to warmer waters to mate and give birth.

Whales don’t keep to a regular daily timetable, which is why whale watching tours last between three and four hours long. We are in our 5th year of running tours from Belmar marina with expert whale guides on every trip. Join our mailing list for discounts and special early print trips; when the boat captains tell us the whales are moving into the area, we will be sure to be out there viewing them.
Our daily 3 hour trips are usually $40- $75 per passenger, stay within a few miles of the jersey shore coastline, so you will always see land!

We also offer more adventurous all-day trips to the deep ocean. These trips cost much more, about $250 per passenger, but they are a fantastic experience. Just ask our regular passengers and birders who love these dawn to sunset trips

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about whale watching trips at the Jersey Shore
When does the season start/? We run trips from April to December; June to November’s peak season.
Will I see a whale on my trip with you? The simple answer is yes; we guarantee it. Whales are wild animals, and we sometimes use many methods to locate them. You might need a free return trip to see your whale or a large pod of dolphins.
A free return trip must be taken in the same calendar year.
What about the weather? We don’t go in bad weather, we want the trip to be enjoyable lol. We reschedule you to any future date if the weather is a problem.
Can I charter the whole boat for a special event, fundraiser, or birthday? Yes, call us at 732.451.6003 we have many size boats and trips, including lighthouse tours of NYC and the Statue of Liberty; just call us 732.451.6003
Jersey Shore whale watch we have been sighting whales since 2016, and this is our 5th year running public trips; you and your family will love the unique safe experience we offer on each trip.
Yes, our large boats have two spacious bathrooms for your comfort and Lenny of indoor and outdoor seating. We are very handicap accessible. Wheelchairs are welcome always

Despite out efforts going 15 miles south along the coast of New Jersey to Island Beach State Park, We did not spot a whale it was a beautiful sunny day on the water. Everyone on the trip enjoyed it and they get to come next year for a free return trip. Ours whale check guarantee is unique we want everyone to experience the thrill of seeing at least one whale on our trip!

All i can say is wow,I will let Trisha write up the full report but today was special here are some photos!

Two Whales and a Ferris Wheel!
After having to pull our trip yesterday due to high seas, we were very happy to go out today. We had reports earlier today of a whale in Belmar right outside the inlet, so we headed in that direction. We continued south past Spring Lake, Manasquan, Point Pleasant and Bay Head looking for any signs of our whale. Our naturalist, Danielle, spotted the whale even further south just off of Ocean Beach. When we got close enough to the whale we realized he was bigger than the whales we have been seeing recently and he may be new to our database. We got some great shots of his tail flukes so Danielle will be able to confirm if this is a new whale for us or if he is already in our catalogue. As we were enjoying watching this whale, Danielle noticed another whale just about a mile further south. At this point we were right off of Lavallette and the whale was in the Seaside Heights/ Ortley Beach area. Since it was so close we went to take a look and boy were we glad we did! This whale was quite active and gave us a great show! First he made an enormous splash when he lifted his tail high out of the water and slapped it on the surface. This behavior is known as lobtailing or tail slapping. The sound is very loud and may be heard for some distance under the water, This behavior can be used for long distance communication with other whales perhaps to let them know there is food or a predator in the area or it could be a way to play or socialize. It’s quite possible this whale was slapping its tail to communicate with the first whale we saw. Whatever the reason, it sure was exciting to witness. He did it a few more times so everyone on the boat got to get photos or video of it. He also surprised us all by suddenly lunge feeding right alongside the boat! It was so sudden and so close it was hard to get a photo but still really cool to see. And all this with a view of the famous Casino Pier and Ferris Wheel in the background! So much fun! When we started heading home and thought we had all the great photo opportunities we were going to get, the sun started peaking through the clouds to give us a beautiful sunset! It was truly an amazing day! We only have a few more opportunities to go whale watching this season so join us while you can. It is going to be a balmy 66 degrees this Thursday and we are going on our Sunset/Full Moon whale watching trip- you don’t want to miss it! Take a personal day or leave work early, its so worth it! You won’t have this chance again until next year. Take advantage of this great fall weather and come see the whales before they are gone for the winter. There is plenty of room to move around and find your perfect viewing spot and plenty of room in the indoor heated cabin. With smaller groups this time of year it feels a lot like being on a private charter. We don’t know which trip will be our last for the season so make sure you don’t miss it! Book the full moon trip today! You will be happy you did!

Trish DeVoe, Naturalist, Jersey Shore Whale Watch

We look like we will have a good weather for Thursday and possibly Friday’s sunset in full moon whale watching trip I promise you this is the best trip of the year other than the trips when we go far out or 1214 hrs. this is a simple trip three hours we leave at 1:30 or back before 5 PM you will see the sunset full moon rising and plenty of humpback whales book now there’s only couple trips left the season really is almost over mainly due to the temperature for Thursday looks to be 63° so it could be a great day

This is the time the whales migrate south and we see them off Belmar feeding on all the big bait fish. Join us only a couple weeks left. This is the Friday morning sunrise November 12th 2021

We are in peak whale migrating season as evidenced by all our whale and wildlife sightings the past three days. We saw three different whales on our trip yesterday and we were right off of Spring Lake! The opportunities to go out are quickly dwindling as storms are churning and the weather is getting colder, but we want to take full advantage of every day that the ocean and weather cooperate with us. This really is the best time to go whale watching and the only time there is a possibility of seeing the highly endangered North Atlantic Right Whale. It was this time last year that we had the incredibly rare experience of seeing one of these beautiful whales on our trip. It was an unforgettable moment for everyone on the boat.

We are keeping a close watch on the weather and ocean conditions to plan our last trips of the season. Friday looks like a definite wash out. Temperatures are warmer this week and right now the weather for Saturday and Sunday looks good, hopefully the seas will be good to go out as well. This Thursday is Veteran’s Day and it looks like a good day to go out. It will definitely be a small group that is more like a private charter. If you are off work and considering joining us please book your ticket- we need 25 to go out- if we don’t get enough guests we will automatically refund your money. Feel free to email me with any questions.

Please remember, free trips do not carry forward into next year. Don’t miss your opportunity to sail with us again before the end of the season. We never know exactly how long the weather will hold out or how long the whales will remain so don’t wait much longer!

We are planning another sunset- full moon trip on both Thursday November 18th and Friday, November 19th. It will be a gorgeous sunset and full moon rising. The November 19th full moon, also called the Beaver Moon, will be a Blood Moon! That is because this year it is accompanied by a partial lunar eclipse! About 98% of the moon will be covered by the earth’s shadow giving it a reddish color. Our October full moon trip was absolutely amazing and with the lunar eclipse, this one promises to be even better! Make sure you click the box to get text messages about weather changes and the trip status. If you don’t click the box you will have to check your email for any updates. Click on the below link for more information about this month’s Beaver moon lunar eclipse.
https://www.masslive.com/news/2021/11/beaver-moon-and-partial-lunar-eclipse-will-shine-for-novembers-full-moon-what-this-means.html

We had such an amazing season this year and hope to enjoy a few more great trips before the season ends. Adjust your schedule so you can see these giants of the sea one more time before they are gone for the winter. You may even get to see a North Atlantic Right Whale! Get out there with us to enjoy the abundance of whales and wildlife we are seeing right now- book you trip today! We look forward to seeing you on the boat!

Happy Whale Watching!
Trisha DeVoe, Naturalist, Jersey Shore Whale Watch

Our adventurous day went north out of Belmar, from the shark river towards Lond Branch and further. Our captain Thought there was a whale, but it did not resurface, so we went south towards Spring Lake since we had another reported whale sighting. Well before we got there, a big surprise, common dolphins! Special treat as they usually are way offshore, but they were within a few miles of the coast. They swam and were playful. They were swimming alongside the bow of the boat! We were so amazed that we saw the spout of the whale # 1 for the day at the same time. It turns out he is whale number 196 Gotham Whale catalog, who was seen last year at this time. Usually, whales spout and do a shallow dive, repeat and make a deeper dive the third time. Not this one! Each time he surfaced, it was one breath and deep dive. Saw plenty of tail. He even did a tail slap. Off in the distance was another whale near Manasquan. This whale was not deep diving and was kind of mellow. We got some photos and headed back north . we encountered whale number 1 and then a 3rd whale on our way back to the Shark River inlet, and amazing day Such a whale good time! We made up a story that whale # 2 went to see whale # 1 because she “Whaley, Whaley loved him”. Okay, that was bad but it was funny at the time! We also had a beautiful sunset, wonderful afternoon! Only a few weeks left join us soon!

Sunset whale watching season is here

We had another awesome day whale watching. Clear blue skies led us to two different humpback whales within 1 mile of each other. We were riding from Belmar down to Point Pleasant and then turned around. We were able to spot the first humpback in Avon by the sea about 1 mile off the beach, the 2nd one was in Bradley beach. I great local trip .join us soon only a few weeks left.Remember if you don’t see a whale we take you back out for free the same season.Call or email us if you have a free trip you want to use in the next few weeks. Whale watching free trips do not carry into the next year.

Whale right off the beach!

Happy to report we had another successful whale watching trip today!. We left the Shark River and headed north towards where our sister ship had numerous whale sightings earlier in the day. We found our whale right off of Asbury Park. We had quite a few students from Fusion school and they were all delighted to see a whale in the wild! One of the students even spotted the dogfish, photo below
Such a memorable class trip! The whale was feeding on the abundance of bunker fish in the area so he stayed pretty close to shore. He was clearly not afraid of the boat and gave us plenty of great photo opportunities and lots of tail shots. With such small groups going out there was plenty of room for everyone on the boat to get the perfect viewing spot. It’s so much fun to hear the excited shouts every time the whale surfaced! Interestingly, as we followed the whale, he actually led us south right back to the Shark River inlet where we started! Perfect trip!

We only have a few more trips scheduled before the end of the season so don’t miss out- Book your trip today! There is plenty of room on the boat to move around and find a warm sunny spot or you can always go inside our heated cabin and enjoy some hot chocolate and cookies. We sell snacks like hot dogs and hot pretzels and we even sell sweatshirts and blankets- everything you need to have a warm, enjoyable trip. Just dress warm, bring your camera and get ready for an amazing experience! We are going out Saturday and Sunday, come out and join us and watch these giants of the sea migrate south for the winter. You’ll be happy you did!

Almost forgot we also saw a Spiny dogfish are the most commonly known of the two-dogfish species that inhabit the coastal waters off New Jersey. … Spiny dogfish are also referred to as mud shark, skittledog, Atlantic spiny dogfish and Pacific spiny dogfish. The spiny dogfish is widely found from north to south on both coasts of North America.

Trish DeVoe, Naturalist, Jersey Shore Whale Watch

Wednesday November 3. 2021

Triple Play today!

What a great return to our whale watching trips after over a week of being unable to go out because of the storms and rough surf.

We got off to a great start by seeing not one but two bald eagles right in the Shark River! Then as soon as we got out into the ocean we came upon a super pod of hundreds of dolphins!

Everyone had fun watching them jump out of the water all around the boat. We watched them for a little bit and then headed on south to find our humpback whale. We didn’t have to travel too far before we found him. We were just off of Manasquan beach when we first spotted him. This was a younger humpback whale and the first time he has been seen by our research team. It’s always exciting to add a new whale to our database.

Based on this whale’s size, our naturalist, Danielle, believes that this whale was recently weened from its mother. Very cool to see such a young whale on its own. He seemed be be doing fine without his mother. He was eating loads of fish and pooping a lot to prove it! It didn’t matter where you were on the boat, everyone had a great view of the whale and plenty of photo opps. It was a lot of fun watching this whale. We got plenty of tail shots, saw some sharking behavior where the whale shows the tip of one side of its flukes (which can look like a shark fin) and we even got to see some lunge feeding! It was really exciting to see all these whale behaviors up close. But our fun didn’t end there. On our way back to the marina, we came upon our super pod of dolphins again. They were jumping through our wake and gave us another great show. This was a very successful trip, indeed!

The entire time we were less than a mile off shore and just outside of Belmar. We only have a few weeks left of the season so don’t miss out. It’s really not too cold as long as you dress warm. And the weather is supposed to warm up at the end of the week and into next week. With smaller groups going out you won’t be crowded and can move freely all around the boat. The upper deck is flooded with sunlight making it nice and warm and there is always the inside heated cabin to retreat to if you feel cold. We also have hot chocolate and coffee to help keep you warm and toasty. It’s really the best time to go out and get the last sightings of the whales before they migrate too far south. Don’t wait until next year to see humpback whales – see them now! Book your trip today- you will be happy you did!
Trish DeVoe, Naturalist, Jersey Shore Whale Watch

Dress warm come out and see the whales hear other way south to Caribbean, They passed right by Belmar so come out with a Season Whales November is a fantastic month for whale watching. We have late season discounts. Whale watching tickets

whale watching is great family fun New Jersey’s best-kept secret

Picture Perfect Whale Watching Day!

Who needs Alaska or Hawaii?? We have the Jersey Shore!!
We had quite a few reports of whales a few miles off shore so instead of our usual course heading north, we headed east out to sea a bit. The seas were calm and the sun was shining. It was a beautiful day on the ocean! We had a nice 45 minute ride to the siting locations. Along the way guests enjoyed hot cocoa and hot dogs from the galley. Once we got to the area where the sightings were, it wasn’t long until we found our humpback whale. The whale was pretty curious about us so a few times the captain shut the engines off and we just watched the whale go all around the boat. He would stay at the surface a little bit so we could all see his huge flipper fins right under the surface and then he would take a deeper dive and show us his tail flukes! This whale definitely gave everyone on the boat plenty of great photo opportunities! Everyone was so thrilled and excited to see this gentle giant of the sea up close and personal! No need for expensive trips to Alaska or Hawaii- you don’t even need to drive hours to Cape May- just head on over to Belmar and come out with us! We are in peak migration season and soon the whales will be too far away for us to see them. We want to take advantage of seeing the whales whenever we can before the season ends so if the weather and seas are good, we will go out. It’s definitely worth watching the weather and adjusting your schedule to be able to join us. There’s no better reason to take a sick day!!
Don’t miss out- join us before the end of the 2021 season! And don’t forget our trips make great gifts- get your 2022 gift certificates. There’s no easier gift to buy and everyone loves to get our gift certificates! Check out our calendar for our last scheduled trips of the season and to see our 2022 dates. We hope to see you before our whales leave us until next year- come out and see them before they go!

Trish DeVoe, Naturalist, Jersey Shore Whale Watch

Whales, dolphins, sunset and moonrise- Perfect 10 of a day!

We had the most beautiful day on the ocean today! We left at 3:00 for our special Sunset-Full Moon Whale Watch trip. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the ocean was as blue and calm as could be and the temperature was just perfect! We left the Shark River and headed south. We were barely traveled 10 minutes when we came upon our Humpback Whale. Everyone enjoyed watching him and everyone had plenty of opportunities to get photos. We had a small group so everyone could easily move around to different areas of the boat to get their best shots. We stayed with the whale for a little bit and then left him to see what we could find further south. It was not long again before we came upon a superpod of dolphins! There were hundreds of dolphins all around the boat. It was so much fun watching them splash and jump all around the boat and play in our wake. They really gave us a great show and plenty of great photo opportunities. At this point it was getting close to sunset, so we started heading back north to where we saw our first whale, hoping to get sunset photos with him. Fortunately, all our wishes came true! We found the whale in the same area just as the sun was setting. We got the most beautiful photos of the whale with the sunset in the background. It was truly amazing!! Once the sun set we continued towards the Shark River waiting for the full moon to rise over the ocean. Just when we thought the day couldn’t get any better, we saw the beautiful orange glow of the full moon rising over the horizon. More beautiful, amazing photo opportunities! To the west we could see the red orange glowing sky from the sunset and to the east we saw the biggest most beautiful orange moon rising over the ocean. It was absolutely perfect!! Definitely one of the best days of the season!! Tomorrow’s weather is going to be a repeat of today so you still have a chance to enjoy this warm October weather and see humpback whales as they migrate south. It will be a small group so you will have plenty of room to spread out and enjoy the fresh ocean air. We are going out all weekend but it won’t be as warm as it will be tomorrow. Don’t miss out on the last warm days of the season- book your trip with us today!

Trish DeVoe Naturalist, Jersey Shore Whale Watch

We had an awesome day of whale watching join us Friday

Picture perfect day!!
The weather was an absolute 10 today! The only thing that made it better was being on a boat watching a humpback whale swim right under us! We had an amazing day out on the ocean! We found humpbacks right off of Long Branch. He was very curious about us and was swimming circles around the boat as he was feeding. He even surprised everyone by swimming right up to the boat and then underneath us! The water and sky were so crystal clear- we could see the NYC skyline even as far away as Long Branch. It truly was a picture perfect day for whale watching and tomorrow’s forecast is for the same beautiful weather and calm seas. Saturday looks like a blow out due to high seas but Sunday is looking good. This is probably one of the last warm weekends we will have for a while so if you’ve been thinking about going out with us tomorrow and Sunday are your days to go!! Don’t miss out on this gorgeous weather and seeing the whales migrating south- book your trip today!!
Trisha DeVoe, Naturalist, Jersey Shore Whale Watch

Are you often are asked when the best time to go whale watching in New Jersey is? The answer is right now October, and November are the best ones the bait fish are huge plentiful, and the whales are coming down, migrating from Cape Cod Provincetown, Canada Nova Scotia on the way south to the breeding grounds for the winter they passed by the waters of New Jersey, and we see plenty of them on every trip. Well watching is a great family activity it’s a huge boat two levels two bathrooms, handicap accessible kitchen, heated cabin, great site lines 1st boat we run the number one whale watching tour in New Jersey we’re very proud of our record and you will have a great time seeing Whales with us book your trip no we go seven days a week as long as the weather allows and we have people will be out there till the end of November we’re watching from Belmar a couple of trips maybe from point Pleasant and at least one trip a week from Keyport marina thanks any questions give us a call 732-451-6003

We had an amazing whale watching trip Friday we saw two whales to minke whales sunfish had to be about 1000 pounds.
American Bald Eagle, dolphins on the way to seeing the two whales just an amazing afternoon.
This is the best time of year to go whale watching for whale migration is here

Whale Report October 3,2021
Whale Tails
We had another amazing whale watching day today! Another picture perfect warm fall day with calm rolling waves- perfect for being out on the ocean. We headed north towards where the whales were yesterday, passing Avon, Ocean Grove, Asbury and Long Branch. The fog rolled in a bit over the ocean but it didn’t get in our way at all. We were on our way to find the whales! Once we got up around Sandy Hook, we headed east a bit, about 2 miles off of the shore. When we saw a huge splash a bit in the distance we knew we found or whale! This whale was quickly identified by our lead naturalist, Danielle, as Whale #16. This is one of the first whales identified in the area about 9 years ago. It was so much fun watching this whale today. He kept slapping his tail and sticking it out of the water. It wasn’t clear if he was doing this to stun the fish or if he was just doing it for fun, but it was very clear that everyone on the boat was thoroughly enjoying watching him! You could hear shouts awe all around the boat. This whale spent a lot of time near the surface and came very close to the boat a few times. The captain shut the engines off and we just floated there and watched the whale do his thing. The whale was very entertaining and gave us all plenty of great photo opportunities. The fog even cleared and the sun came back out making it even nicer. Sometimes when the whale dove he did it in almost slow motion slowly lifting his tail way out of the water as if he wanted us to get great pics of it! If ever a whale was a ham, #16 definitely is! We really hated to leave but we are so excited to see what our next trip brings. Don’t read about it in our whale report- come out with us and experience it for yourself! October is peak whale watching time as the whales are migrating south for the winter. The weather is still comfortable and we have a heated cabin in case it gets chilly. Plus we sell hot food and drinks and warm Jersey Shore Whale Watch sweatshirts! We have all you need to enjoy a day on the ocean watching humpback whales. Don’t wait any longer- book your trip with us today!
Trish DeVoe, Naturalist, Jersey Shore Whale Watch

You can also purchase whale watching official shirts and sweatshirts here the link is in the menu above

Here is a review from one of our frequent passengers Linda.
What a fun trip last evening! Sunset cruise up towards Sandy Hook and back to Belmar. Ocean was so calm you could see everything so clearly. NYC was dazzling! On the way back, saw some very entertaining dolphins that were jumping and breeching out of the water. They were on all sides of the boat and everyone had a great time watching them. Then the beautiful sunset!

we really all enjoyed the trip,it was an amazing sunset on the ocean we were back at the dock 7:10pm, it was dark already,so sad.
Here are some photos