“The whale just blew about 1,000 feet off my bow!” Bjoern Kils, 41, gasped as he snapped photographs of the creature he estimated to be about 40 feet (12 meters) long.
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed reports of the sighting, but said it would get involved only if the whale became entangled or otherwise became endangered.
“We’re aware, but it’s pretty normal that we get whales out there,” Petty Officer Anthony Pappaly told Reuters.
In recent years, more than a dozen humpback whales have been detected in New York waters, according to state data, with some as close to shore as 550 yards (500 meters) from the beach in Rockaway, Queens.