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𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨 𝙎𝙩 𝙇𝙖𝙬𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚

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Honored and excited to share that my "Big City Breacher" (featuring NYC0391 in @gothamwhale's NYC Humpback Whale Catalog) was selected as the winner of this year's @rockawaytimes Photo Contest!

Thanks to @jbrpc and @nycferry for making the contest possible and to the judges for taking a liking to my capture!

A large-scale print of this shot spent the summer on the boardwalk at Beach 93rd Street, sharing a glimpse of what can be seen right here off the coast of NYC. Though most of the whales this summer have spent their time a bit further offshore, it's awesome to be able to share these animals with people through public showcases in the same places where they can be seen.

New York City is a wild place, and so much life thrives just off its shores. From Far Rockaway to Broad Channel to the inner rivers, our waters are brimming with things to see.

Photo taken aboard @american_princess_cruises taken in Rockaway Beach, NYC by @stlawrence.gallery

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a year ago

Another magical day on the New York seascape. A reminder that a good whale-watching day (or a photo) doesnt always have to be action-packed with breaches & surface-active behavior.

It can’t be overstated how many variables have to align for a good skyline-whale shot. Not only do the whales have to be cooperative and you engaged and prepared, but the boat needs to be facing the right direction, the lighting has to be balanced — and most frustratingly — the weather has to be just right (and I’m not just talking salty seas). The skyline is often shrouded in mist from the sea or smog from the city, making clearer days all the more special. Even here, you can only mostly make out an outline — no real details.

An incoming storm brought with it a peculiar warm hue, which made this shot a bit more interesting and unique. I get quizzical looks sometimes for shooting through the opening of the boat railings, but that lower perspective (if only by a few inches) is what helps bring that skyline horizon lower into frame while on a long telephoto lens. It’s a risky play on rockier days, as you’re more likely to altogether miss the photo when the waves send you up and down (and it can be a killer position to hold). But when it works, it works.

July 14, 2024 aboard @american_princess_cruises w/ @gothamwhale

#sony a7r5 / 200-600 5.6-6.3 G OSS

#wildlife #newyorkcity #nyc #wildlifephotography #sonycommunity #sonyalpha #sonycine #nature #naturephotography #whales #whalewatching #whale #worldshares taken in New York, New York by @stlawrence.gallery

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2 years ago

Five days on the Atlantic with @apparentwinds

At the end of May, we sailed from Charleston to spend two days on the Hudson Canyon — a journey full of surprises and ocean magic.

Just a short little teaser. Stay tuned for more from the expedition on all of our feeds.

@apparentwinds @gaelingoexplore @alejojergovic

#expedition #explore #nature #sailing #ocean #oceanlife #marinebiology #wildlife #sharks #whales #dolphins #shark #newyork #hudsoncanyon by @stlawrence.gallery

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2 years ago

Reach for the sky, cuz even if you miss, you might scrape the Highlands 👀

The Atlantic Highlands are home to the highest point on the eastern seaboard south of Maine, providing a staggering backdrop for photos like these — a breaching whale seen frolicking in the waters just off Sandy Hook, New Jersey this afternoon aboard @american_princess_cruises! 🐋

This is NYC0313 in @gothamwhale’s NYC Humpback Whale Catalog, a returning whale from years prior and one of our current regulars on the waters just outside New York Harbor. See the last photo — look at that full belly! Stuffed to the brim with plenty of bunker and whatever other forage fishes that are swimming around below.

#whalewatching #nyc #humpbackwhale #whale #jerseyshore by @stlawrence.gallery

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a day ago

Another day, another familiar fluke! 👋

This is NYC0313 in @gothamwhale’s NYC Humpback Whale Catalog, as seen today near the mouth of New York Harbor. I saw this whale for the first time three years ago in 2023, the first year they were seen here in the NY/NJ area. Check the final slide to see my photo from June 2023, featuring a closeup of their fluke pattern.

JOIN US! ⛴️ @american_princess_cruises is sailing daily Wednesday-Sunday at noon from Sheepshead Bay Pier 8 (ten minute walk from the B&Q trains) on whale watch trips! I’m leading trips every Thursday and some Sundays, where I’ll be personally introducing passengers to all the wildlife here off the city and telling some of their stories. Come see the whales while you can!

#whalewatching #humpbackwhale #nyc #newyorkcity #marinelife by @stlawrence.gallery

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3 days ago

Humpback whales 🐋 were spotted feeding and splashing near Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn under the wildfire smoky skies last week. We’re now entering the peak of humpback whale summer feeding season.

📸: American Princess Cruises / Chris St. Lawrence by @stlawrence.gallery

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6 days ago

An endangered FIN WHALE off of NYC! 🐋🗽

This whale-watching season with @american_princess_cruises has brought some incredible surprises — like a bunch of fin whales! These giants (second largest animals to have ever lived!) are much rarer to see in this area, where we usually encounter humpback whales. You never know what you’re going to see out there!

Sailing Wed-Sunday at noon from Sheepshead Bay Pier 8 (10 minute walk from the Q & B trains!) Come see some whales.

See schedule, make reservations, and find more info at americanprincesscruises.com

#whalewatching #nyc #whale #brooklyn #marinelife taken in New York by @stlawrence.gallery

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8 days ago

Today, off the coast of New York City: breaching under smoky skies. 🐋

The consistent presence of humpback whales in the coastal New York Bight is directly related to our changing oceans and changing planet. Warming seas and changing fish distributions have pushed these animals into new foraging grounds, including into our busy urban waters.

Today, we watched as this young humpback — an individual known to @gothamwhale in our local catalog as NYC0332 — swimming, feeding, and breaching in the waters just outside of New York Harbor, on the periphery of Ambrose Channel, the busy shipping lane in and out of NYC. They were joined by one other whale as they feasted on shoals of bunker that peppered the water’s surface.

Historically, humpbacks were not really here. But now they are, and the horizons are still hazy.

Today, aboard NYC’s original and only full-time whale watch, @american_princess_cruises — get out NOW to see this whale and others‼️🐋

#whalewatching #nyc #humpbackwhale #natgeoyourshot #newyorkcity @sonyalpha taken in New York City by @stlawrence.gallery

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9 days ago

Two years ago on Hudson Canyon, we stumbled upon a few interesting things, including this — an aggregation of BASKING SHARKS! 🦈 #SharkAwarenessWeek

For two days, it was basking sharks everywhere on the canyon. A constant supply of dorsal fins, distant breaches, and surprise muggings, we kept finding ourselves surrounded by these huge filter-feeders. Our most notable encounter consisted of about 10 of these 15-20ft sharks encircling our vessel in broad daylight but surrounded by a thick fog.

Observations of large basking shark aggregations are relatively rare on the East Coast, with 10 being opportunistically documented from Nova Scotia to Long Island across 40 years of right whale aerial surveys. A 2018 study from NOAA’s NEFSC found these aggregations to be linked to availability of zooplankton, the sharks’ prey, but didn’t rule out secondary purposes. Numbering from 36 to 1,398 individual animals, these aggregations seemingly vary greatly in number and geographic scale. Considering the amount of breaches we saw throughout these two days, the several sizeable groups of sharks, and the fog that limited direct observation, it feels almost safe to guess that there could have been hundreds of sharks in the area.

Alongside our trip’s primary rarity (the initial report of the summer-long 2024 Hudson Canyon aggregation of North Atlantic right whales) it is easy to suppose that these sharks were there just to feed, but they weren’t often with mouths agape. Maybe they were just feeding at depth, or maybe they were there for some other reason. A week later, the sharks were nowhere to be found.

#shark #hudsoncanyon #sharkweek #newyork

Drone footage via @alejojergovic by @stlawrence.gallery

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10 days ago

The FASTEST SHARK IN THE WORLD right here, off the coast of New York City! 🦈💨

Check out this BREACHING SHORT FIN MAKO for #SharkAwarenessDay! We saw this absolute unit of a shark just a few weeks ago while searching for fin whales in some deeper water. This shark seemed to be breaching to dislodge whatever was in its mouth, possibly an old leader from being hooked. These guys can reach top speeds nearing 50 miles per hour — perfect for taking flight like this.

Due to significant declines, Atlantic short-fin makos were put under a fishing moratorium in 2022, but were deemed to not be a candidate for listing under the US Endangered Species Act that same year despite a global listing as Endangered by the IUCN.

While we are primarily searching for whales out there, many other predators are drawn to the same food sources that aggregate marine mammals. From makos to great whites to dusky smooth-hounds, the waters off of NYC are home to a surprising diversity of shark life. They can be hard to spot when swimming below, but when you’re out on the water, you never know what you’ll see! 🔎

🚨 The water is heating up and so is the feeding activity. We’re sailing daily Wednesday-Sunday, and I’m guiding trips EVERY THURSDAY in search of whales, dolphins, sharks, and more! We just had a crazy weekend with at least ‼️SEVEN‼️ whales, lunge-feeding, and even a few distant breaches. All of this out of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn (just a ten minute walk from the Q and B trains).

See our full schedule, make reservations, and learn more at americanprincesscruises.com

#shark #nyc #newyorkcity #whalewatching taken in New York by @stlawrence.gallery

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12 days ago

One of New York’s most recognizable sharks: the hammerhead! 🔨🦈

This week is #SharkAwarenessWeek, and lots of people are very *UN*aware that we have hammerheads in New York — and even in New York City!

I’ve seen a bunch of these guys with @american_princess_cruises, especially offshore, but also sometimes on our 3-4 hour whale-watching trips! Hammerheads feed on small fish but will also go after stingrays, like the cownose rays that we frequently see when our waters warm up in the summer.

How can you see a shark? They can be a little tricky, but you never will if you don’t try. I’m guiding NYC whale-watch trips out of Brooklyn EVERY THURSDAY aboard @american_princess_cruises where we’ll be keeping an eye out for anything sharky. 👀

#whalewatching #nyc #whattodoinnyc #wildlife taken in American Princess Cruises by @stlawrence.gallery

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13 days ago

Some of my so-called “colonoscopy photography” from the tide pools of Orchard Beach in the Bronx — home to a dizzying array of colors, textures, and shapes when you take the time to really look.

Especially drawn to the chain tunicate, which has a very interesting spongey look. These guys are native to the Northwest Pacific, but are increasingly established across the North Atlantic. New York’s status as a major global port makes it a hub for marine invasives that hitch a ride in ballast waters and on ship hulls. I believe these were the first iNaturalist records of the species for Orchard Beach, but their presence is not at all surprising considering their abundance elsewhere in the city, including at the adjacent City Island.

These searches were spurred by my hunt for a New York City nudibranch in the wild. If anyone has any leads, PLEASE get in touch. If you want to go tide pooling, let’s.

#tidepooling #nyc #bronx #marinelife #ocean taken in Orchard Beach in BX by @stlawrence.gallery

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14 days ago