It’s the best time to see a whale around Myrtle Beach, SC. Here’s why and how to spot one
The Grand Strand is home to an abundance of marine life from common animals like crabs and fish to more unusual sights like dolphins, manatees and even sharks.
But cooler temperatures in November mean you might catch a glimpse of one of the rarest animals in area waters: whales.
Permanent residents
Only one species, the pygmy whale, makes its home in the ocean off of South Carolina year round, according to Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network director Lauren Rust. In addition to education and conservation, LMMN coordinates responses for sick, injured, trapped and dead marine mammals stranded in South Carolina.
Based on “stranding data,” information collected from stranded marine mammals, Rust says pygmy sperm whales are consistently present in South Carolina throughout the year. However, the 8-to-10-foot whales are spotted infrequently.
“They’re very rarely seen alive for a couple reasons. They live in the deep water, so most people are not there to see them because they’re deep divers,” Rust said. “They’re also just really dark and small and have a really small dorsal fin.”
Migrating visitors
While pygmy whales are in South Carolina waters more often, whale species passing by the Palmetto State can be easier to spot.
“Most whales are going to be migrating kind of in the shoulder seasons, like in the fall and the spring,” Rust said. “They’re typically gonna go down to warmer waters in the wintertime and then go back up to the north in the summertime, when the food is much greater and the temperature better.”
Beaked whales, humpback whales, North Atlantic right whales, pilot whales and sperm whales — not the pygmy kind — all migrate along the Atlantic coast. Depending on the species, some go as far south as the Gulf of Mexico.
Once the weather starts to turn in the spring, migrating whales will return up the Atlantic toward the northeastern United States, with some species traveling as far as Nova Scotia, Rust said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maintains seasonal management areas during the migratory season to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales’ migratory routes and calving grounds.
Along South Carolina’s coast, vessels that are 65 feet or longer can’t travel faster than 10 knots between Nov. 1 and April 30. While only larger boats are restricted, NOAA encourages smaller boats to slow down during the season as well.
Whale watching
There’s no reliable formula for finding whales in the Grand Strand, even during the peak season.
“All of these whales are going to live offshore,” Rust said. “So it’s harder to see them close to shore.”
The best chance of spying whales without getting in a boat in the Myrtle Beach area is probably on a pier. But even at a pier, the animals are a rare sighting. The last time one was spotted at the Myrtle Beach State Park pier was in January of 2023, a park ranger said.
“It’s just they don’t come close enough. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Rust said. “You might get a rare whale that comes in shore to feed a little bit, but pretty far off shore.”
Because most whales and pods tend to travel in deeper water, farther from shore, the most likely place to spot the marine mammals is in a boat off the coast. If you do encounter a whale in a boat, NOAA says to observe the whale from at least 100 yards — or one football field — away.
