Whale Watching with CRESLI

The Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island was founded in 1996 by marine mammal scientists, environmental scientists and experts in education and conservation. Once again this summer, CRESLI will be hosting its annual whale watching and pelagic bird watching event from August 14-16. The journey will take its passengers all the way to the edge of the continental shelf, the Great South Channel and the Gulf Stream. The ship, the Viking Starship, will leave for its 51-hour trip from the Viking Fleet Dock in Montauk at 7:00 p.m. and return two days later at 10:30 p.m. As the trip is usually very popular and viewed as a vacation for most Montauk residents, tickets are very tough to purchase. This year, the Viking Starship will be harboring a maximum of 70 passengers. The ship can fit 220 passengers including crewmembers, researchers, sailors and its captain.

The sleeping accommodations are what is expected of a 140-foot long ship. Open bunks can be found on the lower decks. Sleeping bags are strongly suggested, as the bunks are not nearly as comfortable as your bed at home. If weather permits, the passengers may sleep on deck. Great food can be purchased on the boat, however you are allowed to and encouraged to bring your own food on the trip. The ship is very comfortable, offering many activities to do and places to go, which will make you feel welcome and at home. The vessel has a full gallery and a gift shop inside so that its guests can shop during their 51-hour trip. It also offers a large seated cabin, which can fit about 220 passengers, an observation deck, which seats about 100 passengers and a television which can be used for watching movies and videos, but not for cable TV. A public address system is also present on the boat to make lectures during the whale watching much easier for the listener.

Although the primary reason for the whalewatching trip is to see the great creatures that live under the sea in the Atlantic, the trip will also have a fair amount of pelagic bird watching.

The trip will be lead by the president of CRESLI, Dr. Arthur Kopelman. Accompanying Kopelman for his assistance will be researchers from Whale Center of New England and Angus Wilson, a pelagic bird specialist. The diverse waters of Long Island hold many different species of whales and different sea creatures. According to CRESLI's website, sightings of minke whales, humpback whales, finbacks, sea whales, sperm whales, pilot whales, bluefin and yellowfin, bigeye tuna, white marlin, bottlenose ocean sunfish, Atlantic white sided and Risso's dolphins, Portuguese man-of-war, green and loggerhead turtles, basking sharks, great white sharks, hammerhead sharks, blue sharks, sea turtles, porpoises, seabirds northern gannet, red-necked and red phalaropes, south polar skua, herring, sooty, manx, Wilson's and Leach's storm petrels, northern fulmar, pomarine and parasitic jaegers, greater black-backed birds, Bonaparte's gulls and many more sea creatures and birds are expected to be seen.

The trip will be a great time for a family of any size, as parties of any number can buy as many tickets as they would like. CRESLI will make sure that the excursion, which is held from a Tuesday night to a Thursday night, will be welcoming to every person involved.

For more information about whales or pelagic birds, or if you want to become a member of the Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island, you can visit cresli.org. The whale-watching trip will take place from August 14-16. Adult tickets (ages 13 and over) are $325 for non-CRESLI members and $300 for CRESLI members. Child tickets (ages 12 and under) are $150 for CRESLI members and $162.50 for non-members. For children ages six and under, there is no charge. About $50 to $75 of each purchased ticket goes to CRESLI to help better causes in nature. Therefore, this money is tax deductible. Reservations are required in order to attend the excursion. You'll have a whale of a time. To purchase tickets visit www.cresli.org or call (631) 244-3352.

- Fred Katz

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