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Locals capture disturbing images of the massive, decaying carcass rocking in the surf, drawing heartfelt response from Hamptons resident Christie Brinkley
A dead, decaying humpback whale washed ashore at Ditch Plains beach in Montauk on Friday, drawing onlookers to one of Long Island’s most celebrated surf spots and prompting a response from marine conservation officials.
Josi Friedrich, a local ocean photographer, was among a number of local photographers who documented the grim scene. Friedrich shared images of the massive carcass on her Instagram account.
“Witnessing it in person felt very profound and sad. These circumstances are unfortunate, it’s always awful to see dead wildlife especially if this resulted from a boat strike,” Friedrich told Greater Long Island.
“It serves as a reminder that we should treasure where we live and do the most we can to protect the nature and wildlife around us,” she continued, “especially by keeping our distance, limiting pollution, and taking action in the many other ways humans can lessen our impact on the world around us.”
‘Sad and so awe-inspiring at the same time’
Friedrich provided the following images of the dead whale to Greater Long Island.
Christie Brinkley among those saddened
Video and photos of the whale’s body rocking in the ocean waves were also posted to Instagram by @coreyswave — capturing the disturbing sight as the carcass rolled in the surf at the popular East End beach.
The images drew an emotional response from Hamptons resident Christie Brinkley, the supermodel, actress, and longtime animal rights and environmental activist. Commenting on the @coreyswave post, Brinkley wrote: “Oh no! Poor baby…seems like boats should come equipped with radars that alert you to change course before a tragic strike. Their home has gotten too crowded. 💔”
The whale’s size, sex, and condition were not immediately confirmed by officials. The Atlantic Marine Conservation Society — known as AMSEAS, the state’s designated lead organization for large-whale stranding response — was notified of the stranding.
The stranding is the latest in a decade-long crisis for humpback whales along the Eastern Seaboard. Since January 2016, elevated humpback whale mortalities have occurred along the Atlantic coast from Maine through Florida — a crisis NOAA formally designated an Unusual Mortality Event in April 2017 that remains active today.
AMSEAS has responded to 85 large whale strandings in New York since 2017, with 42 percent of those animals showing evidence of human interaction — 27 percent bearing signs of vessel strike and 13 percent showing evidence of entanglement in fishing gear.
Humpbacks are a familiar presence in the waters off Montauk, as well as other sections of the South Shore, particularly in summer. The species is found in the greatest numbers around Long Island between June and October, from the Rockaways to Montauk.
The proximity to shore and to heavy maritime traffic carries a steep price. The New York Bight — which stretches from Montauk to Cape May, New Jersey — carries the largest volume of boat traffic on the Atlantic Ocean.
The dead whale in Ditch Plains appears to be the second whale to wash up on a New York beach in 2026. The first was in Rockaway Beach in March.
Friedrich used a drone to capture overhead images of the whale’s caracas swaying in the surf.
Local photographer James Katsipis also captured the sad scene in video and photography.
He captioned his photography: “Sad day in Ditch Plains. Dead whale washed up in front of the trailer park. Poor thing. 💔”
Top: Josi Friedrich photo
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