Friday 10-23-20 9am & 1:30pm “A tranquil tone”

After two incredible days of whales and dolphins, things returned to something more reminiscent of “normal”  today. However, “normal” is an amorphic, bizarre thing when your job is to search oceans for wild animals! Our morning trip found a handful of cooperative humpback whales, and our passengers were graciously offered a few not-too-distant looks at breaching. Humpback acrobatics, if you will. Returning home, we were intercepted by a large group of Risso’s Dolphin. All the while, the sun burned brightly through a blue sky, devoid of clouds. The air held still, with barely a nudge for a gust now and then. After resupplying ourselves with a fresh batch of passengers, our afternoon trip experienced something incredible: the wind held back. Normally, our winds pick up in the afternoon, if even only slightly. Nay, the afternoon was calmer than the morning (which was calm to begin with!). With almost no swell, a sea of glass set a tranquil tone for three hefty humpback whales, roaming the bay in unison, hunting their anchovies as birds hovered above, impatient. It’s not every day that one can forego a jacket out here. Not even close.

-Zay, Naturalist.–