Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center

Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center Responsible whale and dolphin watching with a focus on research, education, and conservation.
(450)

The Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center was founded in 1987, and we originated the phenomenon "Whale & Dolphin Watching" on the New Jersey Coast. With our Marine Mammal Guarantee, we guarantee you will see marine mammals or your next trip is free! We want all of our passengers to experience the excitement of viewing marine mammals in their natural habitat to spark conservation and inspire futu

re generations for a lifetime. By choosing the Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center for your next eco-tour, you are directly supporting marine mammal research and education. Our expert Captains and Marine Biologists collect data with the assistance of undergraduate Research Interns to learn more about the migration and movement of our whales, dolphins and seals. We have expanded our research onboard with a New Jersey Non Profit, the Whale and Dolphin Research Center of Cape May in 2016. Our mission is to promote the conservation of our marine mammals and their environment in Cape May, New Jersey through research, education, and outreach. The Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center has been a proud member of Whale SENSE since 2011. We are committed to a higher standard of marine mammal watching, always viewing our wildlife with the utmost respect and courtesy they deserve.

What a weekend! The Marine Science Symposium at the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center brought together passionate s...
06/04/2025

What a weekend! The Marine Science Symposium at the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center brought together passionate students, researchers, educators, and ocean lovers for a full day of sharing ideas, exploring research, and building community around marine science. There were three inspiring keynote talks, many student oral and poster presentations and hands-on exhibits with local organizations. The energy and enthusiasm for protecting our ocean and becoming more involved in marine science was undeniable.
The weekend ended with a Humpback whale, Bottlenose dolphins and plenty of bird life on the American Star!
Moments like these remind us exactly why we do what we do. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make this inspiring weekend such a success!
Mark your calendars for May 29-31, 2026!

06/02/2025
Photos from the last few days of SO MANY WHALES! The Humpback whales are coming close to shore to feed on bunker along t...
06/01/2025

Photos from the last few days of SO MANY WHALES! The Humpback whales are coming close to shore to feed on bunker along the shores of Cape May and Wildwood. Bottlenose dolphins, osprey, and cormorant feeding frenzies are happening daily!
📸: Our fabulous Research Intern team!
Sailing daily on the American star!
➡ www.capemaywhalewatch.com
📞(609)-898-0055

We participate with Whale SENSE and view our marine mammals respectfully.

🎉🐳 Happy Birthday, Captain Matt! 🎉🐳Today, we celebrate the birthday of an exceptional Captain who has dedicated his life...
05/30/2025

🎉🐳 Happy Birthday, Captain Matt! 🎉🐳
Today, we celebrate the birthday of an exceptional Captain who has dedicated his life to the wonderful world of marine mammals. From the early morning preparations to the late evening, you go above and beyond to ensure every excursion is a remarkable experience for all. Your enthusiasm is contagious, and your commitment to education and conservation efforts is truly inspiring.
Have a WHALE of a Birthday!
www.capemaywhalewatch.com (609)-898-0055

A few highlights from our Memorial Day Weekend with Humpback whales, Bottlenose dolphins and wonderful bird life, every ...
05/28/2025

A few highlights from our Memorial Day Weekend with Humpback whales, Bottlenose dolphins and wonderful bird life, every day! These photos are from Sunday and do not include the 4 Humpback whales we saw yesterday! 💯
📸: Jason Denesevich
Sailing daily on the American star!
➡ www.capemaywhalewatch.com
📞(609)-898-0055

We participate with Whale SENSE and view our marine mammals responsibly.

Happy Memorial Day! Safe travels everyone!
05/26/2025

Happy Memorial Day! Safe travels everyone!

On this Memorial Day and every day we Remember & Honor our nation's heroes. We wish everyone a safe holiday. 🇺🇸

How is your Memorial Day Weekend? 🇺🇸Ours is breaching fantastic 🐋 Join us on the American Star!Our Naturalist Garrett to...
05/25/2025

How is your Memorial Day Weekend? 🇺🇸
Ours is breaching fantastic 🐋 Join us on the American Star!
Our Naturalist Garrett took this photo yesterday and we had two more Humpback whale sightings today!
➡ www.capemaywhalewatch.com
📞(609)-898-0055

We participate with Whale SENSE and view our marine mammals responsibly.

Great photos shared with us by season pass holder, Bruce Neumann! 💯 🇺🇸Have a safe and Happy Memorial Day weekend! See yo...
05/24/2025

Great photos shared with us by season pass holder, Bruce Neumann! 💯 🇺🇸
Have a safe and Happy Memorial Day weekend! See you on the American Star! ⛴
🐬🦅: 10:00am
🐋🐬🦅: 1:30pm
🐬🦅🌅: 6:00pm
➡ www.capemaywhalewatch.com
📞(609)-898-0055

Did you know a Humpback whale can consume up to 3,000lbs of fish a day? That's equal to 9,600 slices of complimentary pi...
05/24/2025

Did you know a Humpback whale can consume up to 3,000lbs of fish a day? That's equal to 9,600 slices of complimentary pizza on the 6:00pm Sunset cruise! Enjoy these photos of a lunge feeding Humpback vacationing in Cape May and enjoying beachfront Menhanden this holiday weekend 🐟
📸: Naturalist Garrett
Sailing daily on the American Star! Reservations highly encouraged.
➡ www.capemaywhalewatch.com
📞(609)-898-0055

We participate with Whale SENSE and view our marine mammals responsibly.

A tail throwing start to our Memorial Day Weekend with 2 Humpback whales on the American Star! Sailing daily! 🐬🦅: 10:00a...
05/23/2025

A tail throwing start to our Memorial Day Weekend with 2 Humpback whales on the American Star! Sailing daily!
🐬🦅: 10:00am
🐋🐬🦅: 1:30pm
🐬🦅🌅: 6:00pm
➡ www.capemaywhalewatch.com
📞(609)-898-0055
📸: Naturalist Dan

We participate with Whale SENSE and view our marine mammals responsibly.

It's ! 🐢Diamondback terrapins are the only brackish water species of turtle in New Jersey and occasionally visit us at ...
05/23/2025

It's ! 🐢
Diamondback terrapins are the only brackish water species of turtle in New Jersey and occasionally visit us at our dock at South Jersey Marina.
Adult female terrapins are starting to come ashore to lay their eggs at this time of season. If you see a turtle crossing the road this holiday weekend:
🐢STOP for turtles crossing roadways to lay their eggs.
🐢Help a turtle cross by safely moving her in the same direction she was traveling.

Address

1231 Route 109 (South Jersey Marina)
Cape May, NJ
08204

Telephone

+16098980055

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center:

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center

Sailing from Cape May and Wildwood Crest, the Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center was founded in 1987 and originated the phenomenon "Whale & Dolphin Watching" on the New Jersey Coast. In 1987, we began monitoring the species of marine mammals that come to this area to learn more about their feeding, migration, and breeding habits. We've come a long way since then, we now partner with Whale SENSE as well as the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (www.whales.org) to continue our research and to promote awareness of protecting whales, dolphins, porpoises, and their environment. The Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center is a proud member of Whale SENSE, 1 of only 2 in the state of New Jersey, the other being our sister ship, the Atlantic Star. Whale SENSE (www.whalesense.org) is a collaborative, voluntary program recognizing commercial whale-watching operations committed to a higher standard of whale watching. The Cape May Whale Watch & Research Center is privileged to be participating in research with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS). As part of a grant funded by NOAA's Whale SENSE & WDCS, we were outfitted with cameras and GPS units to photograph and document the whales we see, and it's already been a huge success! Using photo ID, WDCS researchers matched whales that we photographed off Cape May, NJ to the Gulf of Maine humpback whale catalog and confirmed sightings of 2 young whales named Campfire and Esca.