The men spotted a whale surface near the Staten Island shoreline last week.
The whale breached the surface several times as it feasted on a school of bait fish.
The City's Parks Department said swimming that close to shore is normal behavior for the massive cetaceans who have been visiting the New York harbor for thousands of years.
Elsewhere, in the waterways around New York City, a woman who survived a shark attack in the shallow waters off Fire Island's coast on July 4 spoke out about her ideal.
MORE: Shark attack survivor speaks out after July 4th incident off Fire Island
Shark attack survivor speaks out after incident on Long Island
----------
* More Staten Island news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube