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Arts & Entertainment

Video, Photos: Humpback Whale Spotted In The Rockaways!


By

Jamie Feldmar

Published Aug 22, 2011

Modified Aug 22, 2011


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Photo courtesy Matthew Wills

 

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By

Jamie Feldmar

Published Aug 22, 2011

Modified Aug 22, 2011


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There's more to the Rockaways than just hipsters—there's real, live, nature, too! Check out these photos of a humpback whale, spotted on a cruise around Riis Landing at Breezy Point. Passenger and "amateur naturalist" Matthew Wills snapped the whale, thought to be 30-35 feet long and therefore a juvenile, slapping its tail against the water for several minutes, a rare whale watcher's treat.

He also snagged some short video of the young whale in action:

Humpbacks are rare but not unheard of in these parts—in 2009, another humpback nicknamed "Sully" cruised the same waters; also in 2009, a different humpback got tangled up in a netted "lobster pot" near Sandy Hook, New Jersey (he was later freed unharmed), and this past June, a dead humpback (aw) washed up on Island Beach State Park in New Jersey. To catch a glimpse of the behemoth mammals yourself, check out these Rockaway-based whale watching ferries... or just head over to the Rockaway whale.

Tagged

breezy point

humpback

rockaways

whale


Jamie Feldmar

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