Video: Whale Surprises Hamptons Fishermen

A regular day casting for bass in Napeague/Gardiners Bay in the Hamptons became something much more exciting over the weekend when Amagansett fishermen Erik Peterson and his brother got a real shock as what appears to be a humpback whale breached a few dozen yards from his boat.

Peterson, a local physical therapist and avid fisherman, can be heard explaining that the boat was sitting in a “bait ball” surrounded by sea life.

“It was very incredible. We were on our way out to Montauk, and we came upon this pod of whales in the bay,” Peterson said. “We were a small boat in the middle of this pod of whales, and we quickly realized that our position was too dangerous to stay, especially after that whale came up about 30 to 40 yards from the boat. We had all seen video one or two months ago of a boat getting capsized by a whale up north of here. It was quite exhilarating.”

Thanks to environmental efforts to preserve the vital menhaden baitfish, aka bunker, with coast-wide catch limits in recent years, whales have been making a comeback, and they’re showing up closer to shore along with other wildlife, such as sharks, dolphin, sea turtles and tuna.

Whale species found in local waters off the East End include humpback, fin whales (the second largest whale species on the planet, after blue whales), and the critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, of which scientists estimate only 400 remain.

If you see an injured or stranded whale, call the NY Marine Rescue Center stranding hotline at 631-369-9829. Visit their website to learn more: nymarinerescue.org