+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
upworthy
popular

New York City was visited by nine different whales in one day and the photos are amazing

New York’s harbors are the cleanest they’ve been in over 100 years.

whales new york
Twitter

This is postcard-worthy.

People often pay to go on whale watching tours in hopes of mayyyyybe catching a single glimpse of a tail splashing the water—if they’re lucky.

On August 13, however, folks in New York City got the whale watching cruise of a lifetime as they were able to witness not one, not two, but NINE whales swimming in the harbor.

While onboard a tour with American Princess Cruises, Celia Ackerman, who works as a naturalist for the company, captured multiple breathtaking photos of the creatures with a view of New York’s skyline as the backdrop.

Here’s just one of the beauties:

gotham whales twitter, 9 whales new yorkGorgeous!All images taken by Celia Ackerman, used with permission from Gotham Whale

Ackerman is also a research associate for Gotham Whale, a marine mammal research, education and advocacy organization. Gotham Whale tweeted the images not only to let others join in on nature’s spectacle, but also to raise awareness and avoid potential collisions.

“Amazing day to say the least,” Gotham Whale’s caption read.

This once-in-a-lifetime sighting might be less of a miracle and more a result of concerted efforts to clean New York’s waters. Back in 2019, the New York Post cited a study that showed New York’s harbors were the purest they’ve been in nearly 110 years, not since “Albert Einstein had just published his theory of relativity,” according to the Post article. This was largely due to the Clean Water Act of 1972, in addition to volunteer environmental groups, according to the article.

Cleaner water means more fish, and more fish means a whale buffet. Not to mention some amazing photos:

whales new york, new york harbor, gotham whales

Breach incoming!

Celia Ackerman

“Something else to make your heart happy!” someone commented alongside a blue whale emoji.

whale sightings, whale cruise new york

What's not to love about this photo?

Celia Ackerman

This is the stuff fairy tales are made of y'all.

whales new york

Over-whale-mingly cool.

Celia Ackerman

Hands down, most successful whale watching cruise ever. No question.

new york harbor whales, cecilia ackerman twitter

One fish, two fish…

Celia Ackerman

These whales gave a water show and everything (see below):

gotham whales twitter

We're in the splash zone.

Celia Ackerman

There’s even a video of three breaching whales from the same day, shared by science and health reporter Aaron Tremper.

“I would’ve been screaming. This is so magical!” wrote one person.

Of course, the new-and-improved coastline is not only attracting whales. On August 8, 2022, two sharks were spotted off a beach in Queens, New York. And there were 15 shark sightings in one day the previous week, according to ABC7 New York. However, shark attacks are still quite rare.

I know what you’re thinking—where are the dolphins?! Don’t worry, Ackerman found some of those, too.

Like this Clymene dolphin below, whose most well-known party trick is spinning while jumping out of the water.

whale spotting new york, new york whales

He's auditioning for the "Flipper" reboot.

Celia Ackerman

These images come as a respite after the news that Freya, a walrus in Norway who captured hearts by sunbathing in various boats, was euthanized by authorities after being declared a “threat to human safety.” Her death was considered by many to be an avoidable act of cruelty, brought on by human negligence. However, the walrus named after a Norse goddess of love aptly still commands reverence by her followers, who have started a fundraiser to erect a statue in her honor.

We don’t always do right by our animal friends. But when we do, it shows. New York’s impromptu whale party is literal living proof of that. Finally, some good news about growing traffic!

From Your Site Articles
Community

Wonder how volunteering can change your life? Ask a Peace Corps Volunteer.

Those who give back get so much in return.

True

Larissa Gummy was first introduced to the work of the Peace Corps in high school. All it took was seeing a few photos shared by her ninth-grade teacher, a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, to know that one day, she would follow in those footsteps.

This inspiration eventually led Larissa away from her home in Minnesota to Rwanda in East Africa, to give back to her family’s country of origin and pursue her passion for international development. Though her decision confused her parents at first, they’re now proud and excited to see what their daughter has accomplished through her volunteer work.

And just what was that work? Well, it changed from day to day, but it all had to do with health.

Mostly, Larissa worked for Rwanda’s First 1,000 Days Health project, which aims to improve the conditions that affect the mortality rate of kids within the first 1,000 days of being born (or almost three years old). These conditions include hygiene, nutrition, and prevention of childhood diseases like malaria and acute respiratory infections (ARI). Addressing malnutrition was a particular focus, as it continues to cause stunted growth in 33% of Rwandan children under the age of five.

In partnership with the local health center, Larissa helped with vaccination education, led nutrition classes, offered prenatal care to expecting mothers, and helped support health education in surrounding communities. Needless to say—she stayed busy with a variety of tasks.

Keep ReadingShow less
community
Family

Wife says husband's last name is so awful she can't give it to her kids. Is she right?

"I totally get we can’t shield kids from everything, and I understand the whole family ties thing, but c’mon."

via Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels

A wife pleads with her husband to change their child's name.

Even though it’s 2023 and schools are much more concerned with protecting children from bullying than in the past, parents still have to be aware that kids will be kids, and having a child with a funny name is bound to cause them trouble.

A mother on Reddit is concerned that her future children will have the unfortunate last name of “Butt,” so she asked people on the namenerds forum to help her convince her husband to name their child something different.

(Note: We’re assuming that the person who wrote the post is a woman because their husband is interested in perpetuating the family name, and if it were a same-sex relationship, a husband probably wouldn’t automatically make that assumption.)

"My husband’s last name is Butt. Can someone please help me illuminate to him why this last name is less than ideal,” she asked the forum. “I totally get we can’t shield kids from everything and I understand the whole family ties thing, but c'mon. Am I being unreasonable by suggesting our future kid either take my name, a hybrid, or a new one altogether?"

Keep ReadingShow less
parenting
Joy

People worried a dog was abandoned at a Metallica concert. Turns out she just wanted to jam.

To be fair, they were playing her favorite songs!

Laura Stanley|Canva and Ralphs_fotos|Canva

Dog runs away to go to Metallica concert across the street

Maybe all of those kids' movies that feature personified animals getting into very human-like mischief when their owners are away are based on true events. Sure, people have put GoPros on their pets and haven't captured any wild parties and secret conversations in a discernible language coming from their four-legged pet, but what if dogs understand more than we think and enjoy very human pleasures? Maybe some part of them is tuned into things they like that aren't expected from human's best friend.

A German Shepherd named Storm has certainly proven she's been paying close attention to what humans do. In fact, she even joined the audience of a concert without her owners knowing.

In Inglewood, California, Storm decided to take her furry self on a date since clearly, her owners missed the memo on Metallica being in town. She heard the band start playing and decided to sneak away to get a better listen.

Keep ReadingShow less
dog metallica concert
Family

Baby twins were separated for the first time and their nighttime reunion was so sweet

They so clearly missed each other.

@thattwinmama/TikTok

There's nothing like the bond between twins.

If you've ever spent a significant amount of time with twins, you know that no other relationship compares.

My husband has twin brothers, and one of those brothers had twin daughters (busting the twins-skip-a-generation myth), so our family is quite familiar with the twin bond. Over and over, we've watched with amusement as one adult twin will move across the country for one reason or another, with the other twin eventually, but inevitably, following them. Twins redefine the word "inseparable," which makes sense since they've literally been together since before they were even born.

Nowhere is that bond more apparent than in a video of twin babies at the end of their first day of separation ever.

Keep ReadingShow less
twin bond
Identity

People are sharing how they discovered their sexual orientation and every journey is unique

"I first realized that I liked men at the tender age of 12 while watching 'The Mummy' with Brendan Fraser for the first time."

via Cottonbro Studio/Pexels and Maharael Boutros/Pexels

Everyone's journey of self-discovery is different.

Discovering one's sexual orientation is a deeply personal journey that unfolds differently for everyone. Some people have a defining moment when they know what they’ll be into for the rest of their lives, and others go through life without much questioning.

Some people go for more of a trial-and-error approach where they come to an understanding over numerous experiences, while others view their sexuality as fluid and would rather live without any label.

What’s important to remember is that there's no "right" timeline or method for this self-discovery. What matters most is allowing oneself the time, space and love to grow and evolve organically. Everyone deserves the freedom to find their truth at their own pace.

Keep ReadingShow less
sexuality
Democracy

How would a homeless person spend free cash? The answer may surprise you.

Fifty people experiencing homelessness were given $5,400 and told to spend it however they wanted. Here's what they did with the money.

Canva

A study revealed what a homeless person actually spends their money on.

In 2018, 50 individuals in Vancouver who had become homeless in the past two years were selected to receive a lump sum equivalent to around $5,498 USD to do with whatever they wanted. No questions asked.

In addition to the cash, they received a year of coaching and workshops that could help with developing life skills, goal setting, self-affirmation and brainstorming strategies to gain more stability.

The gesture was part of a peer-reviewed PNAS study, which also included the research team separately surveying 1,100 people, asking them to guess how the recipients would spend their money.

The general prediction was that these individuals, if experiencing homelessness, would spend 81 percent more on “temptation goods” like alcohol, drugs or tobacco than if they were not.

A follow-up survey proved that prediction wrong.

Keep ReadingShow less
community
Joy

Woman uses ‘malicious compliance’ to get around employer’s rule against pink hair

She wears terrible wigs on purpose, and they each have their own names.

Emily|TikTok

Malicious compliance gets woman around work rule against pink hair.

Work dress codes aren't always practical, especially when you want to have a little room for self-expression. Most dress codes include things like no open-toed shoes, no spaghetti straps or no facial piercings, but some employers have a policy against unnatural hair colors.

One TikTok user, @emuhleeebee, whose first name is Emily, recently started a new job that does not allow for her brightly colored pink hair. Since she interviewed with her pink hair on full display and still got the job, she didn't realize until after she started that the company dress code called for natural hair colors.

If you thought, easy enough, she'll just dye her hair brown or some other natural color that would cover her pink hair, you'd be wrong. Emily decided to participate in what she calls "malicious compliance," meaning she will comply with the company policy but in the most obnoxious way possible.

Keep ReadingShow less
malicious compliance
Trending Stories