Coastal Georgia + NE Florida · whales
Coastal Georgia + NE Florida whale watching
The warm, shallow water off Georgia and northeast Florida is the only place on Earth where North Atlantic right whales — one of the rarest large animals alive — come to give birth each winter. This isn't a boat-tour spectacle; it's a quiet, lucky glimpse of a mother and calf from a quiet beach. Crooked River State Park near St. Marys makes a calm coastal base for a slow winter trip.
Typical season
Mid-November through mid-April
Whales to look for
North Atlantic right whale (calving)
Where
Southeast U.S. right-whale critical habitat (NOAA Fisheries)
Nearest RV base
Crooked River State Park, St. Marys, Georgia
Watch it honestly
This is a calving ground, so watching is from shore only and sightings are rare. Federal law bans approaching a right whale within 500 yards by any means — there are essentially no legal whale-watching boat tours here, so treat any “right whale boat tour” as a red flag and watch from the beach.
Time it with the official source: NOAA Fisheries — North Atlantic right whale .