Fish gone wild…
As if there weren’t enough reasons to not surf New Jersey in the summer, you can now add being catapulted into the air by earth’s largest mammal to the list.
Local news sources have reported a breaching humpback whale capsizing a twenty-five foot fishing boat thirty yards off D-Street in Seaside Park.
The two fisherman in the boat were unharmed as was the mean ol whale.
Breaching whales are not uncommon in the area at this time of year as the water warms.
However, to have them cameo with such proximity to the shoreline makes a paddle-out feel akin to a stroll in a Mozambique open field, playing lottery with the Portuguese version of planted, undetonated, war flowers.
When local fisherman with thirty years of experience casting in the same waters were asked if they ever remember whales coming this close to shore the answer was simple, ¨Never.¨
Scientists say it is the growing population of Atlantic menhaden, a North American species of fish in the herring family, that are bringing them closer to shore.
Either way, it somehow feels we should be prepared to become the next orphaned Ishmael without a Queequeg on the next paddel out at the Dirty Jerz.

Commented on Disqus? Log out, tap the Disqus button, and your old name and comments come back. The box is ours.
Your comments are still here. Every one of them.
Twelve years of BeachGrit comments came across from Disqus. Connect and we will show you how many are yours. We get your username, nothing else.
Connect Disqus to reveal.
There were whales breaching on Sunday in Long Beach.
My guests were VERY impressed.
Sunday small south swell…. north winds…. my NY friends staying in jersey were piiiiiiissed…. i kept hearing “i hate this place” over and over….. ps. heard the sand bars in town were not good (i havnt surfed there in months).. heard Lido better….
PPs…. this thing was so close the fishermen were able to swim to the beach….. heads up out there brah….
Yeah..small surf here on Sunday.
My friends were out fishing on Monday morning and caught a striper that was over 40 pounds.
Apparently there is a crazy amount of bunker in the water so along with the whales and the dolphins the thresher sharks will be in town soon.
I’d love a piece of that striper fishing.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Wrap those cut chunks in foil with butter , oil, wine, lemon and garlic and let the 350 bake do the rest
I’ve been in a cast iron skillet on the BBQ mood for a month. A little Old Bay seasoning and we’re off to the races!
Eish
Well,,, it was a humpback….. a spermwhale is another story ….
Sounds more like they breached the code of a proper “I once caught a fish this big” fishing story.
When the swimming starts the shooting starts
that lithe little peak looks surfable.
Dude,,, that’s firing for us…..
Poor little thing – leave it alone, ya bully !