EXCLUSIVE: Humpback feeds off Sandy Hook

Ryan Struck hopped aboard his girlfriend's family boat for a little fishing off Sandy Hook Sunday afternoon. It turns out they weren't only ones on the hunt.

"We see like a puff, like a little spray. Is that a whale?" said Struck.

It was, and Struck and his shipmates were treated to a rare view of a majestic humpback whale repeatedly surging out of the water to feed on menhaden, or bunker as the small, schooling fish are popularly known.

Luckily for us, Struck, a professional surfing and lifestyle photographer, had his camera gear with him, and he shared the pictures with the Asbury Park Press.

"You could see the barnacles on it, the baleen," he said. "It was such a surreal experience."

Their boat wasn't the only place to watch this spectacular show. The whale was close enough to the Sandy Hook beach that a crowd had gathered — maybe 100 yards from the whale, Struck estimated — to cheer it on.

"Every time the whale surfaces, everybody on the beach is cheering," Struck said.

What Struck and the beachgoers saw Sunday was actually a mother with a calf nearby, said Bob Schoelkopf, founding director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine. The center monitors whale and other sea life activity at the Jersey Shore.

This is not the same whale entangled in a fishing net that the conservation group Gotham Whale encountered last week, he added.

Humpbacks can reach 60 feet and 40 tons. When people see them, they are often lunging for baitfish and breaching water to rid themselves of parasites.

Schoelkopf said while it's not an everyday sight, it's also not unusual for humpbacks to draw closer to the beach in pursuit of a meal.

"It's where the food is," Schoelkopf said. "That's why they travel. They find a food source and stick near it."

But it's not just humpback whales that can be spotted in the ocean this summer. Bottlenose dolphins come to New Jersey waters to birth and stay the summer. These dolphins can grow up to 10 to 14 feet, weigh over a thousand pounds and travel at speeds of 18 mph in the ocean. Their curved mouths give the impression that they are smiling.

The Shore has been treated to more whale sightings than normal this year, Schoelkopf said. Traditionally, the whales would be in the New England area by now, but why they've hung around is anybody's guess.

"For some reason, the humpback population seems to not have moved as far north as they normally would," he said. "Is it the food source or a change in the water temperature? Who knows?"

Contributing: Staff writer Dan Radel

Russ Zimmer: 732-557-5748, razimmer@gannettnj.com

Have you seen a whale on the Shore? Tell us in the comments or share your photos with us at newstips@app.com.

