“Ooo’s” and “Ah’s” gave way to “Woah’s!” and “Wow’s!” today, as an early onset of of Risso’s Dolphin led to three Humpback Whales. One of the whales turned out to be a calf, who executed countless (literally) breaches and tail throws for the entirety of our views. Captain Danny, Deckhand Reed, and myself (Isaiah) smiled amiably and shared high fives, knowing that our passengers’ lives were being so touched. Back to the Harbor, enloaded, and reloaded, we raced back out to the edge of the continental shelf, where we found a lone and large Humpback, who had little trouble woo’ing the crowd with consistent and impressive tail flukes, as well as some close passes before our time finally ran out. Just as we thought the trip was over – and as we neared Monterey Harbor – Danny sighted a small pod of Risso’s and – who else, but – Casper (the albino). One has to love any day where every single passenger steps off the boat with an enthusiastic “Thank You.” Nay, I say, thank YOU.
-Naturalist Zay
