A breath of fresh air, or maybe a lack thereof! As strong, northwesterly winds have battered our coast these last two months, we have had to cancel our fair share of trips as ocean swells swell to a certain tempestuosity. However, these strong winds are a doubled edged sword; they are they physical mechanism that drives the nutrient rich coastal upwelling of deep, cold waters onto our coastline. These nutrients fuel phytoplankton blooms, which feed the massive schools of anchovies which bring in the Humpback Whales. Fresh air, huh? Today, the winds subsided, and Discovery whale watch was afforded a full day of intense whale watching with beautiful (read: calm) conditions. Both trips saw some 50-100 Risso’s Dolphin, and hoards of Humpback whales- not far north of the harbor. Just within our sighting area, we estimated roughly 30 humpbacks, which does not account for the dozens more being reported throughout the bay. Indeed, now is a great time to come see these magnificent creatures, which we expect to see consistently for the next few months. Just be sure to check the marine forecast before you go!
-Naturalist Isaiah
