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A new national study says Montauk is among the best places in the country to watch dolphins.
The End ranked seventh nationally in a new data-driven — the only Long Island locale to crack the top 20.
The study analyzed 243,809 documented bottlenose dolphin sightings across 356 U.S. coastal locations using scientific data from OBIS-SEAMAP, a marine wildlife database maintained by Duke University’s Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab in partnership with NOAA.
Montauk recorded 9,120 individual dolphins across 449 separate sighting events, placing it ahead of every location in New England and just behind Holmes Beach, Florida, which ranked sixth, according to the report put out this week by BoatBooker.
Montauk’s geography tells the story.
Block Island Sound, Gardiner’s Bay and the open Atlantic converge at Montauk’s eastern tip, creating productive feeding grounds for bottlenose dolphins, who migrate north to the East End during summer months, following baitfish along the coast.
“New York isn’t the first place people think of for dolphin watching — but the data tells a different story,” said Vukan Simic, CEO of BoatBooker. “Montauk ranking #7 in the entire U.S. is a remarkable result, and a real opportunity for boaters in the region to have incredible wildlife encounters right off Long Island.”
The East Coast dominated the rankings overall, claiming nine of the top ten spots. North Carolina led all states, placing three cities in the national top 10. South Carolina had two in the top five. The full top 20, with dolphin counts and sighting events, is below.
Building the rankings
Researchers filtered the OBIS-SEAMAP database specifically for Tursiops truncatus — the common bottlenose dolphin — across U.S. coastal waters. Raw coordinate data was translated into the nearest named coastal city or town, and all locations were ranked by total animals documented. The authors note the rankings reflect documented scientific survey activity, not a comprehensive census of dolphin populations; some coastlines may be underrepresented due to fewer research programs, not fewer dolphins.
America’s top 20 places for dolphin watching
| Rank | Location | Coast | Dolphins documented | Sighting events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buxton, NC | East Coast | 20,128 | 1,761 |
| 2 | Isle of Palms, SC | East Coast | 16,588 | 2,446 |
| 3 | Virginia Beach, VA | East Coast | 15,429 | 1,747 |
| 4 | Folly Beach, SC | East Coast | 14,443 | 3,161 |
| 5 | Nags Head, NC | East Coast | 13,292 | 961 |
| 6 | Holmes Beach, FL | Gulf Coast | 9,902 | 2,210 |
| 7 | Montauk, NY | East Coast | 9,120 | 449 |
| 8 | Chincoteague, VA | East Coast | 8,972 | 682 |
| 9 | Harkers Island, NC | East Coast | 8,340 | 782 |
| 10 | Nantucket, MA | East Coast | 6,624 | 485 |
| 11 | Norfolk, VA | East Coast | 6,066 | 216 |
| 12 | Mount Pleasant, SC | East Coast | 5,778 | 1,313 |
| 13 | Ocean City, MD | East Coast | 5,530 | 756 |
| 14 | Anna Maria, FL | Gulf Coast | 5,417 | 834 |
| 15 | Wanchese, NC | East Coast | 3,703 | 273 |
| 16 | Siesta Key, FL | Gulf Coast | 3,505 | 964 |
| 17 | Avalon, CA | West Coast | 3,364 | 166 |
| 18 | Bethany Beach, DE | East Coast | 3,268 | 490 |
| 19 | Port Saint Joe, FL | Gulf Coast | 3,072 | 340 |
| 20 | Saint Augustine Beach, FL | East Coast | 2,626 | 345 |
Top: Photo by Enrique.
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