He\u2019s making a splash.<\/p>\n
A majestic humpback whale lunged and breached off the coast of Coney Island this past weekend \u2014 marking the 500th member of the special species to be recorded frolicking in the city\u2019s waves since 2012.<\/p>\n
The whale \u2014 deemed a new sighting based on its distinctive fluke \u2014 put on a spectacular show for onlookers to celebrate the milestone, which experts say is a clear indicator that the Big Apple\u2019s waters are growing cleaner and more stable for wildlife.<\/a><\/p>\n The majestic 500th humpback whale recorded in New York City\u2019s waters since 2012 breaches off Coney Island over the weekend. Jam Press\/Chris St Lawrence\/American Princess Cruises\/Gotham Whale<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really inspiring and amazing that New York City is offering these animals \u2014 that are finding challenging situations elsewhere \u2014 a place to thrive, that New York City, a place where we\u2019ve associated with not very clean water and not with a vibrant ecosystem, is becoming a lifeline for 500 humpback whales that have been passing through our waters over the last decade or so,\u201d said Chris St. Lawrence of the advocacy group Gotham Whale to The Post.<\/p>\n Whales are identified by their tails, and the unique scarring on<\/a> the fluke of the weekend mammal, dubbed \u201cNYC0500,\u201d<\/a> allowed the activists to add it to the New York City Humpback Whale Catalog as lucky No. 500.<\/p>\n The estimated 1-year-old humpback was first spotted frolicking around the Sail 4th 250 festivities in Sandy Hook, NJ, but it wasn\u2019t until July 28 that researchers got a clear glimpse of its rear tail and confirmed it was a new visitor.<\/p>\n