Naturalist log for Friday, December 10th: No words. None, at least, that could capture today’s trips. Today started out innocently enough. Two humpback whales, traveling slow and steady up the edge of the Monterey Submarine Canyon. What they lacked for in tail-showings, they more than made up with close passes, and cooperative and predictable behavior. While they alone could have easily made for an acceptable trip, we here at Discovery Whale Watch pride ourselves in our adventurous spirit; we always alot a small amount of spare time into searching for additional wildlife before heading home. Several miles south of the hunpbacks, we found a pod of six killer whales. Already an exciting and rare find, our six apex predators were feasting on a large carcass that we could only assume was that of a bull elephant seal. Gory details withheld, let’s just say we got a really good look at the feast. Suddenly, our killer whales got friendly, and passed under the boat repeatedly, coming so close you could almost touch them. At one point, one the animals deliberately brought the carcass up to the boat as if to offer us a taste! In ten years on the water, these were amongst the best looks I have ever gotten at killer whales. Reluctantly, we finally had to leave for our second trip which, with a little help from another boat, succesfully relocated the pod! With thousands of pound of meat to go around, the orcas continued to feed, interspersed with the occasional breach, spyhop, tail throw, and boat-friendly behavior. At one point, a passenger was crying, overwhelmed by the majesty of what she was seeing. Eventually well into overtime, we reluctantly packed it up, and headed home with our hearts in our hands. No kidding, these were well within the top three killer whale encounters of my career. Check out our instagram!
-Isaiah