{"id":822241,"date":"2026-05-26T01:47:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T01:47:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/822241\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T01:47:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T01:47:46","slug":"new-york-city-was-visited-by-nine-different-whales-in-one-day-and-the-photos-are-incredible-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/822241\/","title":{"rendered":"New York City was visited by nine different whales in one day and the photos are incredible"},"content":{"rendered":"

People often pay to go on whale<\/a> watching tours in hopes of mayyyyybe catching a single glimpse of a tail splashing the water<\/a>, if they\u2019re lucky. Sometimes, even that\u2019s enough excitement. Just the smallest glimpse of one of the world\u2019s largest species. There\u2019s something powerful about feeling that small and insignificant.<\/p>\n

On August 13, 2022 however, folks in New York City got the whale watching cruise<\/a> of a lifetime as they were able to witness not one, not two, but NINE whales swimming in the harbor. A remarkable sight that has only become more common as whale populations in the harbor have grown dramatically since.<\/p>\n

While onboard a tour with American Princess Cruises<\/a>, Celia Ackerman<\/a>, who works as a naturalist for the company, captured multiple breathtaking photos of the creatures with a view of New York\u2019s skyline as the backdrop.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s just one of the beauties:<\/p>\n

\"whales,<\/p>\n

Gorgeous all images taken by Celia Ackerman, used with permission from Gotham Whales<\/p>\n

Ackerman is also a research associate for Gotham Whale<\/a>, a marine mammal research, education and advocacy organization. Gotham Whale tweeted the images not only to let others join in on nature\u2019s spectacle, but also to raise awareness and avoid potential collisions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmazing day to say the least,\u201d Gotham Whale\u2019s caption read.<\/p>\n

Why New York\u2019s waters are suddenly full of whales<\/p>\n

This once-in-a-lifetime sighting might be less of a miracle and more a result of concerted efforts to clean New York\u2019s waters<\/a>. Back in 2019, the New York Post<\/a> cited a study that showed New York\u2019s harbors were the purest they\u2019ve been in nearly 110 years, not since \u201cAlbert Einstein had just published his theory of relativity,\u201d according to the Post article. This was largely due to the Clean Water Act of 1972, in addition to volunteer environmental groups, according to the article.<\/p>\n

Cleaner water means more fish, and more fish means a whale buffet. Not to mention some amazing photos:<\/p>\n

\"whales,<\/p>\n

Breach incoming! Photo credit: Celia Ackerman\/Gotham Whales<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething else to make your heart happy!\u201d someone commented alongside a blue whale emoji.<\/p>\n

Humpbacks are one of the great comeback stories<\/p>\n

Humpback whales, in particular, are an amazing conservation success story. In the 1940s, when whaling oversight first began, humpbacks were nearly extinct. Now they\u2019re thriving<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"whales,<\/p>\n

What\u2019s not to love about this photo? Photo credit: Celia Ackerman\/Gotham Whales<\/p>\n

This is the stuff fairy tales are made of y\u2019all.<\/p>\n

Whales used to pass through New York harbor on their way to more fertile feeding grounds, but the water cleanup efforts have motivated them to stick around and feed. That\u2019s how you get incredible sights like this.<\/p>\n

\"whales,<\/p>\n

Over-whale-mingly cool. Photo credit: Celia Ackerman\/Gotham Whales<\/p>\n

Hands down, most successful whale watching cruise ever. No question.<\/p>\n

\"whales,<\/p>\n

One fish, two fish. Photo credit: Celia Ackerman\/Gotham Whales<\/p>\n

These whales gave a water show and everything (see below):<\/p>\n

\"whales,<\/p>\n

We\u2019re in the splash zone. Photo credit: Celia Ackerman\/Gotham Whales<\/p>\n

There\u2019s even a video of three breaching whales from the same day, shared by science and health reporter Aaron Tremper<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would\u2019ve been screaming. This is so magical!\u201d wrote one person.<\/p>\n

Of course, the new-and-improved coastline (and all the fish that comes with it) is not only attracting whales. On August 8, 2022, two sharks<\/a> were spotted off a beach in Queens, New York. And there were 15 shark sightings in one day the previous week, according to ABC7 New York<\/a>. However, shark attacks are still quite rare<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I know what you\u2019re thinking: where are the dolphins?! Don\u2019t worry, Ackerman found some of those, too.<\/p>\n

Like this Clymene dolphin below, whose most well-known party trick is spinning while jumping out of the water<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"whales,<\/p>\n

He\u2019s auditioning for the \u201cFlipper\u201d reboot. Photo credit: Celia Ackerman\/Gotham Whales<\/p>\n

These images come as a respite after the news that Freya, a walrus in Norway who captured hearts by sunbathing<\/a> in various boats, was euthanized by authorities after being declared a \u201cthreat to human safety<\/a>.\u201d Her death was considered by many to be an avoidable act of cruelty, brought on by human negligence<\/a>. However, the walrus named after a Norse goddess of love aptly still commands reverence by her followers, who have started a fundraiser to erect a statue<\/a> in her honor.<\/p>\n

Here is where things stand today<\/p>\n

Since these photos surfaced in 2022, the whale population in New York has continued to grow. Now, it\u2019s so big that officials are growing worried over whale-ship collisions<\/a>. Efforts to expand vessel speed limits have faced setbacks, in January 2025, NOAA withdrew proposed expansions that would have extended year-round protections. Meanwhile, the whale population continues to grow, with Gotham Whale\u2019s catalog now documenting nearly 500 humpback whales off the coast as of 2025.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t always do right by our animal friends. But when we do, it shows. New York\u2019s impromptu whale party is literal living proof of that. Finally, some good news about growing traffic!<\/p>\n

This article first appeared four years ago. It has been updated.<\/p>\n

The post New York City was visited by nine different whales in one day and the photos are incredible<\/a> appeared first on Upworthy<\/a>.<\/p>\n