Humpback whale spotted in Cape Fear River during student dolphin survey

BOLIVA, NC (WWAY) — Brunswick Community College students experienced a rare sighting of a humpback whale at the mouth of the Cape Fear River near Bald Head Island.

The students were participating in HON-191: Research & Discovery, part of the Community College Undergraduate Research Experience (CCURE), a BCC-UNCW partnership. The group was conducting a routine dolphin survey when they saw something unexpected on Saturday.

“There was so much life in the area—baitfish, diving birds, dozens of dolphins—and then we saw it,” said Dr. Jones, the BCC Dean of Arts & Sciences. “A humpback whale surfaced just beyond Jaybird Shoal.”

This sighting marks the first humpback whale Dr. Jones has recorded in the Cape Fear River since April 2021.

A follow-up trip a week later confirmed the whale had remained in the area, accompanied by a large pod of bottlenose dolphins and a dense school of menhaden.