Yes, You Can See Humpback Whales Near New York City

This surprises a lot of visitors.

You don’t have to travel hundreds of miles north to New England to see humpback whales.

The waters off New York and New Jersey are part of the New York Bight, an incredibly productive marine environment where large schools of menhaden and other baitfish attract humpback whales, dolphins, tuna, sea turtles, seabirds and other marine wildlife.

Humpback whales are now regularly observed feeding along the New Jersey coastline.

And sometimes they are remarkably close to shore.

There have been days when we’ve encountered a whale within moments of leaving Shark River Inlet.

On other days, finding whales may take 30 to 45 minutes of searching, and sometimes longer, because these are wild animals constantly moving with their food.

That’s whale watching.

One of New Jersey’s great advantages is that productive whale habitat can often be relatively close to the coastline.

Spend More of Your Trip Whale Watching — Not Just Getting There

Some of America’s most famous whale watching takes place on Stellwagen Bank in Massachusetts, and it deserves its reputation.

But there is an important difference travelers should understand.

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is located offshore of Massachusetts, and many whale-watching trips from New England ports involve substantial transit time before reaching the primary feeding grounds.

Operators departing from Gloucester, for example, commonly advise guests to expect roughly 45 to 60 minutes of travel each way to reach productive offshore feeding areas, depending on where the whales are located.

Provincetown has an advantage because it is closer to Stellwagen Bank, but the broader point remains:

New Jersey’s whales are often feeding much closer to shore.

Here, the search can begin almost immediately after Jersey Girl leaves Shark River Inlet.

Some days the whales may be close to Belmar. Other days the best activity may be farther north toward Long Branch, Sea Bright, Sandy Hook or elsewhere in the New York Bight.

Either way, our whale-watching trip begins with the search itself — not with a long offshore run before the search can even start.

Imagine a Humpback Whale With the New York City Skyline Behind It

This is one of the things that makes whale watching off New Jersey unlike almost anywhere else.

At many famous whale-watching destinations, the background is simply open ocean.

Beautiful? Absolutely.

But New Jersey and the New York Bight can give you something completely different.

Imagine watching a humpback whale surface, lunge feed or breach with:

• The Empire State Building in the distance
• One World Trade Center rising above the horizon
• The Manhattan skyline behind the whale
• Coney Island in the background
• The sweeping beaches and historic landscape of Sandy Hook
• Miles of beautiful Jersey Shore coastline

When whales are feeding farther north, Jersey Girl frequently searches toward Sandy Hook National Park and the New York Bight.

From the water, the views can be extraordinary.

Sandy Hook stretches along one horizon while the New York City skyline rises in the distance.

It is a view of New York very few tourists ever experience.

And then add a humpback whale.

A Whale-Watching Day Trip From Manhattan — No Car Required

One of the biggest advantages for NYC visitors is how easy the trip can be.

Take an NJ Transit North Jersey Coast Line train from New York Penn Station to Belmar.

The trip is approximately 90 minutes depending on the train and schedule.

Once you arrive in Belmar, Jersey Girl is located approximately one block from the train station.

There is no rental car to pick up.

No searching for parking.

No driving through an unfamiliar beach town.

No long taxi ride after you get off the train.

You can travel from the middle of Manhattan to a whale-watching boat on the Atlantic Ocean using public transportation.

For New York City tourists who don’t have a car — or simply don’t want the expense and inconvenience of renting one — that’s a major advantage.

Driving From New York City Is Easy Too

If you do have a car, Belmar is conveniently located near the Garden State Parkway.

Take the Garden State Parkway to Exit 98, and Belmar Marina is only about five miles from the exit.

Driving also gives you additional flexibility if you want to explore more of the Jersey Shore before or after your whale watch.

Turn Your Whale Watch Into a Full Jersey Shore Day Trip

Don’t necessarily get right back on the train after the boat returns.

You’re at the Jersey Shore.

Enjoy it.

Walk to Belmar Beach

The Atlantic Ocean and Belmar beachfront are approximately five blocks from the marina.

After spending several hours watching whales, take a walk to the beach, stroll along the oceanfront, grab something to eat and enjoy one of New Jersey’s classic shore towns.

There are also restaurants close to the marina if you’d rather stay near the train station and boat.

For NYC visitors, this can become much more than a three-hour excursion.

It can be a complete Jersey Shore day.

Visit Asbury Park

Want to keep going?

Jump back on the North Jersey Coast Line or take a short Uber to Asbury Park.

Asbury Park is one of the Jersey Shore’s most interesting destinations, with its famous boardwalk, restaurants, nightlife, arts scene and legendary music history.

You can whale watch during the afternoon, explore Asbury Park afterward and then take the train back toward New York.

For music fans especially, it makes for a completely different day from traditional Manhattan sightseeing.

Take the Family to Point Pleasant Beach

Traveling with children?

Point Pleasant Beach is approximately 20 minutes away by car and offers family amusement rides, boardwalk attractions, food and a classic Jersey Shore experience.

You can also continue south by train to Point Pleasant Beach and then use an Uber or rideshare to reach the beachfront amusement area.

Adults who enjoy walking may choose to walk from the station, but for families with younger children, a short rideshare is the easier option.

Whale watching followed by boardwalk rides can make for a pretty memorable day for a family visiting New York.

Meet Jersey Girl

Your whale-watching boat is the Jersey Girl, a large passenger vessel operated by Jersey Shore Whale Watch from Belmar Marina.

In 2026, Jersey Girl received a major repower with three new Scania marine diesel engines producing approximately 1,700 combined horsepower.

Why does that matter on a whale watch?

Because whales follow food.

They don’t stay in one place because that’s where a tour boat would prefer them to be.

One day we may encounter whales close to Belmar.

Another day the best feeding activity may be farther north toward Long Branch, Sea Bright or Sandy Hook.

Jersey Girl’s speed and range give our captains the ability to cover substantial coastline when necessary and search where the whales and bait are actually concentrated.

We go looking for the whales — we don’t wait for the whales to come to us.

Learn From Experienced Whale Naturalists

Jersey Shore Whale Watch is about much more than simply pointing toward a whale.

Our longtime lead naturalist and marine mammal researcher, Dr. Danielle Browne, has been with Jersey Shore Whale Watch for nine years and has extensive experience studying humpback whales in the New York-New Jersey region.

She has also been deeply involved in whale research with Gotham Whale in New York City, helping identify and study individual whales using the New York Bight.

That means guests may learn more than simply what species they’re watching.

Our naturalists may be able to discuss the individual whale, its feeding behavior, how researchers recognize it, what it is eating and where it has been documented previously.

For someone visiting New York City, this isn’t just a sightseeing excursion.

You’re experiencing the marine ecosystem that exists just beyond America’s largest city.

One of the Longest Whale-Watching Seasons on the East Coast

Another reason New Jersey works so well for NYC travelers is the length of the season.

Jersey Shore Whale Watch operates from April through December.

During the height of our season, we operate seven days a week, with multiple excursions offered on many days.

Jersey Shore Whale Watch welcomes tens of thousands of passengers each year aboard Jersey Girl.

Depending on the time of year, visitor demand and current whale activity, we may operate three — and at times four — trips in a single day during the busiest parts of the season.

That amount of time on the water matters.

Our captains, naturalists and crew are constantly seeing how conditions change from day to day — where baitfish are concentrating, where whales were last encountered and how wildlife activity is shifting along the New Jersey coast.

For guests visiting from New York City, it also means more flexibility when choosing a departure that fits into a full Jersey Shore day trip.

Rather than arranging an entire vacation around a short whale-watching season, visitors can add a Jersey Shore whale watch to a spring, summer, fall or early-winter visit to New York.

Thousands of Guests Have Already Made the Trip

When you’re visiting another city, reviews matter.

Jersey Shore Whale Watch has a 4.8 out of 5 rating on Google with more than 2,700 reviews.

That’s thousands of passenger experiences available for you to read before deciding whether the trip is right for you.

Guests regularly mention the whales and dolphins, Jersey Girl, our captains, crew and naturalists, and the experience of seeing marine wildlife along the New Jersey coast.

We Want You to Enjoy the Ocean — Not Endure It

If you’ve never been on the Atlantic Ocean before, this matters.

Jersey Shore Whale Watch takes a conservative approach to ocean conditions.

A large passenger vessel may technically be capable of operating in conditions that aren’t particularly enjoyable for the average passenger.

We don’t think that’s the point of whale watching.

We want you to enjoy your trip, not endure it.

When ocean conditions are expected to make the experience unnecessarily uncomfortable or unsafe, we would rather make the conservative decision.

That’s especially important for first-time boaters, families and visitors who may have never spent several hours on the open Atlantic.

Why Travel All the Way to New England?

Cape Cod and Maine are wonderful whale-watching destinations.

If you’re already vacationing there, go whale watching.

But if you’re staying in New York City and simply want to experience humpback whales, you don’t necessarily need to turn it into another vacation.

Traveling from New York to Maine can consume the better part of a day before you even board a boat.

Belmar is different.

About 90 minutes from Penn Station.

Approximately one block from the train station to Jersey Girl.

Whale watching in the Atlantic Ocean.

Five blocks from the beach.

And then back to New York City when you’re ready.

For an NYC visitor, that’s difficult to beat.

Something Completely Different to Do While Visiting New York City

New York has no shortage of things to do.

Broadway.

Times Square.

Central Park.

Museums.

The Statue of Liberty.

The Empire State Building.

They’re all part of experiencing New York.

But somewhere beyond that skyline, humpback whales are feeding in the Atlantic Ocean.

You can spend one day surrounded by skyscrapers and the next watching a humpback whale come out of the water with that same skyline in the distance.

That’s a side of New York very few visitors ever expect to see.

Go Whale Watching From NYC

Take the train from New York Penn Station to Belmar, New Jersey, walk approximately one block to Jersey Girl and spend the afternoon searching the New York Bight and Jersey Shore for humpback whales, dolphins and other marine wildlife.

Afterward, walk to Belmar Beach, have dinner at the Jersey Shore, visit Asbury Park or Point Pleasant Beach, and turn your whale watch into an unforgettable day outside the city.

Then take the train back to Manhattan.

No flight. No overnight trip. No rental car required.

Just New York City in the morning…

and humpback whales in the Atlantic Ocean that afternoon.

Jersey Shore Whale Watch

Aboard Jersey Girl — Belmar Marina, Belmar, New Jersey

Whale-watching season: April through December

Approximately 90 minutes from New York Penn Station — and only about one block from the Belmar train station to the boat.