Collisions at sea can be just as dangerous for boaters as they are for whales. Sharing the Seas helps ensure safe passage for sailors and marine life by providing captains and crew with safe boating techniques around whales.
Whether you’re a recreational or professional sailor, you can review the SAIL tips below before hitting the water, and familiarize yourself with local whale species and habitat you may encounter.
The SAIL Acronym
S: Safe Boating Practices
- Watch for signs of whales:
- Large flocks of sea birds
- Bubbling water
- Blow
- Large school of fish
- Fluke print
- Reduce your speed and drop sail when possible
- Turn on engine to create noise
- Post a lookout
- Maintain a safe distance
- Atlantic: 1,500 foot approach for North Atlantic right whales (federal regulation)
- Hawaiʻi: 100 yards for humpback whales and 50 yards for spinner dolphins
- 100 foot approach for ALL OTHER marine mammals
- Always stay parallel to the whale’s course and don’t approach head-on or cut off the whale’s path
- Drone Operators: Maintain a 1,500 foot minimum altitude
A: Alert Authorities to Important Sightings
- Report dead, injured, ship struck, or entangled marine mammals and ALL North Atlantic right whale sightings
- East Coast
- Call 1-866-755-NOAA (6622) OR
- Hail the US Coast Guard on Ch 16
- Hawaiʻi
- Call 1-888-256-9840
- West Coast
- Stranding Hotline: 1-866-767-6114
- Entanglement Reporting Hotline: 1-877-SOS-WHAL or 1-877-767-9425
- East Coast
- Mark your location (latitude/longitude)
- Maintain a safe distance
- If possible, stand by injured or entangled animals until help arrives, or you receive instruction from authorities
- DO NOT intervene – DO NOT get in the water
- DO take photos and/or video
- Prepare to answer a list of questions and describe what you see in detail
- If the whale is entangled, watch for trailing lines that could foul your prop
I: Important Information to Know (Before You Go)
- Study whales as you would a chart
- Educate yourself on the species of marine mammals in your area
- Understand marine mammal behavior and migration patterns
- Familiarize yourself with speed reduction areas and critical habitat zones in the areas you’ll be traveling
- Keep a marine mammal field guide onboard, or download an app such as Whale Alert
L: Limit Litter
- Marine debris kills thousands of animals each year and causes millions of dollars of damage to vessels and coastal economies
- Prevention is vital!
- Do not let trash go overboard
- Do not lighten your load at sea
- Pump out at approved pump out stations
- Your boat hook is the ocean’s best friend. If you see trash in the water hook it up or scoop it!
- Even the smallest trash in the water, like a balloon or a plastic water bottle, can kill or injure a marine mammal
- Download the Marine Debris Tracker app to report sightings of debris
