Community science
Cape Fear Sightings Map
A weekly, community-reported map of dolphin and whale sightings along the Brunswick and New Hanover coast — the ICW, Cape Fear River, and nearshore ocean. Defaults to the last 30 days. Reports are reviewed by our team and will not appear on the map immediately.
Injured, stranded, or deceased marine mammal?
Don't use this map — call the UNCW Marine Mammal Stranding Program at 910.515.7354.
How to use this map
- Tap or click any pin to open a details panel about that sighting, such as species, group size, date, time, and environmental conditions. Close it with the X or the “Back to map” button.
- Use the layer buttons below (“Community reports” and “CFDR research surveys”) to show or hide each type of sighting.
- The legend (tap “Legend” on phones) explains the marker shapes: bottlenose dolphins, spotted dolphins, humpback whales, and other sightings.
Reports are reviewed by our team before appearing here, so they will not show up immediately. Pins are approximate and may be citizen-reported or from CFDR research surveys. Showing 0 of 0 sightings. Loading…
Researchers & GIS users: approved sightings are published as a live GeoJSON feed you can add as a layer in ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Pro, or QGIS — /api/public/sightings-geojson (optional ?days=30 and ?species= filters). Personal reporter details are never included.