It's a sight that continues to draw both the awe and compassion of hundreds of onlookers.
A baby humpback whale, about twenty to twenty five feet long, has been struggling in the surf along East Hampton's Main beach since early Tuesday morning.
"It is dying," said Chuck Bowman from the Riverhead Foundation, a non-profit group dedicated to rescuing marine animals.
The whale is said to be a baby --- less than a year old -- but still, weighing in at about five tons. It's unclear exactly what is wrong with it.
"I believe it's compromised either by disease or separation from its mother," Bowman said. "It can't survive on its own."
And sadly, rescuers here say there is nothing they can do to save the whale..
"I'll pay whatever it takes- five or ten thousand dollars," Marne McBride begged rescuers. "Just try to do something."
But because of the whale's size and because it's mother is not in the area to help it, Bowman insisted the whale can not be saved. So, onlookers who have come from miles around are simply standing on the beach, watching the whale's final moments of life.
"It seems so sad," said Jennifer Fowkes, a mom who brought her three young kids to see the whale. "I feel bad for the poor guy but still in awe of this creature."
Humpback whales are often seen off Long Island's coast, as they migrate in the spring and fall. This time of year, the whales are following their food sources north.
