A lot of visitors and locals aren’t aware that you can watch whales from Manhattan and Brooklyn in NYC. And I’m talking some major whale watching!
I recently took a cruise from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn with American Princess Cruises, where we saw seven humpback whales. They breached (throwing their body out of the water and slamming back down) and lunge-fed (lifting their head out of the water and opening their mouth wide to capture as many small fish as possible).
Both of these behaviors are absolutely thrilling to see! While humpbacks are the most common whale in the summer off New York City – sometimes even with the Manhattan skyline in the distance behind them – you can also see bottlenose dolphins, minke whales, and sometimes other species as well. We saw some stingrays and lots of birds. You might also see sharks, sea turtles, mahi mahi, and/or sea lions.
The whales returned to New York Harbor in the last decade when fishermen stopped catching the small fish they like to eat most. The waters have also, purportedly, been cleaned up a bit. That means the wildlife activity in the Atlantic near the city has stepped up significantly. That activity does start to slow down in September and October, however, as the whales start to migrate. So summer months are best.
We only sailed an hour from Brooklyn before we saw our first whale. The cost of a three-hour cruise is less than $100 per person, so it’s a great activity for the whole family.
American Princess operates every day except Monday and Tuesday and sometimes operates a sunset cruise as well as their earlier one. I can personally vouch for American Princess, but a friend had a great time with Seastreak.
Seastreak offers cruises from points in Manhattan. Sheepshead Bay is deep into Brooklyn, which would be a trek if you’re staying in Manhattan, although it’s a beautiful fishing village that I recommend seeing if you have the time and inclination. Seastreak does many other types of cruises besides whale watching, including rides to Nantucket and cruises on the river to see fall foliage.
I can’t recommend this activity enough, whether you live in NYC or are visiting in the summer months. I’ll do this every summer from now on!
What if you get seasick? Read my article on how to combat this. I’ve battled seasickness my whole life, but I can now be on rough seas with no issues.
Melanie Votaw is the Publisher and Executive Travel Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. She has visited more than 50 countries on 6 continents and written for such magazines as Executive Travel, Just Luxe, Business Insider, South China Morning Post, Travel Mindset, and more. She is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, New York Travel Writers Association, and International Travel Writers Alliance. Melanie's photography has won awards, and she has also written 46 nonfiction books as either the author or ghostwriter.
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