WARNING: GRAPHIC CONYENT.
A terrifying day indeed. Terrifying, at least, for the anchovies and sea lions. Prey items had best run and hide today; killer whales, risso’s dolphin, and humpback whales were afoot on the bay. Our morning trip got a report from our sister ship, the Chubasco (out on her morning fishing trip), that a group of killer whales was making their way north, along the edge of the canyon. As sure as today was Halloween, we successfully located them in time to see an unfortunate sea lion dangling from the largest one’s mouth. In a moments time, a large red cloud appeared in the water: the feast had begun. Unable to stomach the carnage, we fled east, only to find a ravenous humpback whale! Not one, but two! Two humpbacks, eating 3,000 pounds of anchovies daily, meant that roughly 90,000 anchovies were doomed this halloween to fuel our wildlife entertainment. What madness! Then, when things could not appear worse, 50 Risso’s Dolphin appeared! These bizarre beasts, that lurk in the deepest, darkest regions of Monterey Bay, will attack over 13 species of innocent squid. Grim and grey, the Risso’s Dolphin bear the signs of violence: covered in hundreds of scars from fighting squid and each other. We couldn’t take it anymore. Captain Rod drove the Pacifica home with his hands covering his eyes, peeking through the fingers only occasionally, after being reassured by his crew that it was safe to do so. Trembling, we loaded up on a second batch of unsuspecting passengers, and forced them to watch over SIX bloodthirsty humpbacks, ravaging a large school of anchovies. As the cavernous maw of the humpback whale rose above the surface, we could see hundreds of fish bursting forth in flight, fear in their eyes. In a macabre dance of triumph, our humpbacks then proceeded to breach and tail-throw. Finally, Captain Rod lost consciousness on account of fear, and our Deckhand Kevin was forced to watch a quick Youtube video on how to drive a boat. Thankfully, I stand here today to recount this tale.
-Zay, Naturalist.
