Whale watchers get rare look at blue whale off New Jersey coast

It was something they never expected to see: the largest mammal in the world swimming off the coast of New Jersey.

Last weekend, about 50 passengers and crew aboard the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center vessel American Star got a view of a blue whale.

Such a sighting off the coast of New Jersey is rare, according to marine experts.

“The blue whale was a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife opportunity for everyone on board. We have a team of marine mammal and pelagic bird experts with many years of experience logging hundreds of pelagic trips that have never seen a blue whale in the Atlantic before this trip,” said Melissa Laurino, research director for the center.

Andrea Gomez, a spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said also confirmed the sighting was a blue whale.

According to NOAA, the blue whale was most likely from the Western Northern Atlantic Stock, which ranges from the Artic to at least the mid-latitude waters. Little is known about the population size of this stock but 402 of them were documented by photographs between 1980 and 2008.

This stock of blue whales though are most frequently sighted in the waters off eastern Canada, with the majority of records from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In 2008, NOAA confirmed three sightings of blue whales south of Montauk Point, New York.

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This stock of blue whales can grow to 90 feet and weigh over 100,000 pounds. The stock of blue whales found near the Antarctic grow bigger, up to 110 feet and over 330,000 pounds. Their hearts are the size of a small car.

There she blows

Laurino said they saw the blue whale on a 24-hour trip about 50 to 60 miles offshore of Cape May. They were in an area of 200 feet of water when they saw a tall white blow spout shoot upwards from a mile away. When they got within range they saw that is was a blue whale.

She said they were 100% certain they were observing a blue whale because of its massive size, small dorsal fin three-quarters of the way down its body, mottled skin and aquamarine coloration under the water.

She said the whale was by itself, which she said is not unusual for baleen whales here. The whale surfaced before it eventually dove deep and did not return.

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“We observed the animal for one surfacing sequence, about 10-15 minutes, we waited 25 minutes for it to resurface and when it did not, we safely left the area,” Laurino said.

Laurino said that was their first documentation of a blue whale on the American Star. They are on the water about 200 days out of the year and collect data on all of their whale and dolphin watches.

“Blue whales exist in the Atlantic, and have been documented via aerial surveys and acoustic buoys, but this is an extremely rare observation. These pelagic trips are an invaluable opportunity for our research to learn more about the dynamic ecosystem off New Jersey,” Laurino said.

The blue whale was not the only marine life passengers saw on the trip. Laurino said they observed about 20 fin whales, pilot whales, several dolphin species, a manta ray that breached the surface and a variety of sea-going birds.

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.