9-18-20 “Dall’s Porpoise & Great White Shark!”

For the first time in what seems to be weeks, fog was NOT present at the start of the trip, and Captain Rod needed little time in locating a group of five humpback whales, foraging with their sea lion friends. A handful of other humpbacks graced the area, and after a while, we went out west in search of dolphin. Along the way, we found many Harbor Porpoise, before stumbling upon a group of ten Dall’s Porpoise (our first sighting of the creatures this year!). Exciting creatures: they are among the fastest of Earth’s cetaceans, sending rooster tails of water up in the air as they jet about. Satisfied, we returned to the harbor to pick up another group of passengers for the afternoon trip. Luckily, the first group of humpbacks barely moved, and we had no trouble relocating them. After watching them for some time, a large calf breached, sending itself high into the sky for a giant splash enjoyed by all! With a few minutes to spare, we headed to the beach along the town of Marina, searching for dolphin. Suddenly, a large, dark object swam right by the boat, could it be? A Great White Shark! Yes, we turned to follow it, and it swam along side of us for over fifteen minutes before we had to finally turn and head home. A great day!