4-5-21 “The Triumphant Return”
Zay has returned. Two months of Covid-19 refuge in the Hawaiian islands has sent me back to the mainland with a fire inside, rekindled and emblazoned anew. As the tides of pandemic recede, tourism returns to Monterey, and we the whale fleet are finally feeling the relief of steady business. Just in time; the Gray Whale migration is in full swing, early-bird Humpback Whales pepper the bay here and there, and even the mighty Orca has graced our shores these last few days. Just yesterday, both the Morning and Afternoon tours each encountered their own pod of Orcas (aka Killer Whales!). I feel so blessed to be working as much as I am now, and my passion for inspiration has only grown (tremendously) during my absence. Mother nature (and all of her beautiful; wildlife) needs our help. Environmental crises are…
1-30-20 Friendly Gray Whale Calf & Killer Whales!
I don’t even know where to start for the day! Could it be the pod of 3 Killer Whales? Maybe. Could it be the friendly little Gray Whale? Maybe? Could it be the Risso’s dolphins? Maybe. Or was it just the amazing weather we had on a winter day? Any ways I’ll Just start from the beginning. 10am departure: An amazing group of eager passengers, Captain Rod and myself untie and start our adventure. Right off the bat we find some fuzzy little Sea Otters resting and minding their own business. Next pay a visit to our super active sea lion buddy’s, then off into the ocean we go. Not long out of the harbor Captain Rod gets word of something amazing! We head straight there. Sure enough we arrive and boom. 3 Killer whales!! The oceans apex predator! With…
2020 A Year in Review By Naturalists: Eric, Alfredo, & Isaiah
2020 has come to an end. We experienced losses and shut downs and also some incredible sightings out on the water. We wouldn’t be where we are today with out our wonderful team here at Discovery and with out all of you who have supported us and shown us so much love. Thank you from…
12-31-20 “A fitting end for 2020”
A fitting end for 2020. What else could one expect from such a tumultuous year, than a skunked trip? Indeed, Captain Jared bravely led the Pacifica out into the bay, and while a total of four separate whale boats search Monterey Bay, far and wide, things were slick from the start. Early on, a Northwest breeze began to invade the coast, riling up an already wave-laden sea. Suddenly, another boat wired in that they had spotted a whale. Within minutes, all four whale boats converged onto the scene to aid in relocating the animal. After several minutes, I (Zay) sighted but a single blow, clear as day, just to the north. Desperate, the fleet moved up (though of course, cautiously). Seconds turned to minutes, which turned into what-seemed-like hours. Nothing. Our lonesome whale had absconded with nothing more than a…
12-24-20 “KILLER WHALES”
As this God-Forsaken year draws to a close, Discovery whale watch has blessed with juxtaposition these last two days. Yesterday, our only trip took two hours to find but a single humpback after a long and bumpy ride (strong easterly winds riled up the seas). The humpback was merciful, offering several tail throws and decent looks overall before we returned home. Today (Christmas Eve) Was more of a different planet. Calm seas, beautiful opalescent clouds, and a warm sun set a tranquil tone as we left the harbor. Almost immediately, I spotted a grey whale just off of Lover’s Point. After following the beast for several miles, we stumbled upon several dozen Risso’s Dolphin! Already off to a good start, and satiated off our initial sightings, captain Rod took us out west, and there we found a dozen Pacific White…
12-30-20 10am trip “Gray(t) Migration”
Today was a special day (though what day isn’t special when you work on a whale watching boat?). Captain and Co-owner of Discovery Whale Watch John Mayer took the helm on this fine winter morning: noteworthy, as running the business and readying our new boat keeps him quite busy these days. A man of considerable experience (having taught me everything I know about seamanship) he had little trouble in finding a humpback whale early on in the trip. As most of our humpbacks have returned to their tropical breeding grounds for the winter, we are always most pleased to find an “off-season” humpback. We watched the young whale for some time before Captain Mayer’s classic need for adventure lured us out to the west, whereby we traversed the rim of the Monterey Submarine Canyon to encounter four Gray Whales. Champion…
Gray Whales are on their way!!!!
As most humpback whales migrate out of area, we anticipate the arrival of these magnificent creatures. Gray whales migrate in great numbers past our area to head to their warm breeding grounds in the middle of the Baja California Peninsula. Around mid-February we will already see a few grays heading back up to their Northern…
Fri 12/11/20 “Killer Killer Whales Plus BRAND NEW Calf!”
Killer Killer Whales. T’was a beautiful morning yesterday, as Captain Danny led us “South” (as opposed to North). Goin’ South. as we say, is quite the treat; Monterey’s rugged coastline offers a spectacular back drop that gets better and better the farther you go. Just as we passed Cypress Point (the northern boundary of Carmel Bay), Danny’s eagle eye spotted some tiny blows. Large, black dorsal fins erupted from the surface. Indeed, killer whales! As we approached, the orcas displayed several breaches (some simultaneously), followed by rounds of tail slappings. At first, we counted seven (all apparently female, judging by the non-gigantic dorsal fins), when suddenly, Danny shouted, “Calf!” Incredibly, the you baby couldn’t have been more than five feet long, boasting a strong crimson hue and fetal folds: baby killer whales have relatively little blubber and thin skin, so…
11-28-20 Saturday “Jameson: Irwin in the Making”
Today’s trip was simply incredible, but in a subtle way. We saw a few hundred Risso’s Dolphin, and we saw a handful of whales. No breaches, no backflips. Just honest good looks, and a lot of Mastery in Captain Danny’s orchestration of the trip. At one point, a small child shouted out to a humpback, “Hey Whale! What’s your name?” Everyone laughed. I smiled, and said, “Let me show you what they sound like…” So I pulled out my phone, and pulled up a recording of humpback song and played it over the speakers. Just as the people started to embrace the moment of awe, Captain Danny deftly killed the engines, leaving us all in a calm moment of silence cut by the whoops and wails of the humpback voices, as well as the live action breathing sounds from the…
Thurs/Fri 11-19&20-20 “Thank you Malika”
This is getting ridiculous. Trip after trip, and the running streak of high quality trips continue. Thursday morning, I returned from Moab, Utah to be greeted by a pod of (well over) two thousand dolphin, the vast majority of which were Risso’s Dolphin. Deep divers: they roam the edges of the continental shelf, hunting squid in blackness of the ocean deep. Echolocation, a biological SONAR (which is an abbreviation of “sound navigation and ranging”) aids them in their pursuit. Two thousand Risso’s are truly a sight to behold. However, amongst their ranks were friends; Pacific White Sided Dolphin AND Northern Right Whale Dolphin appeared, and joined our vessel for some bow riding fun (a form of dolphin surfing). Reluctantly, we abandoned the stampede, and quickly dispatched with some humpback whales. Filling our eyes with them for some time, until before…
The Bumps on Humps. 11-17-20
Have you noticed that a humpback whale’s head is really bumpy?! The dark bumps you see are called tubercles, they are a large hair follicle that covers the humpback’s rostrum. Nerves are within the tubercle and a short hair can also protrude from it. Many researchers believe that humpbacks could be using the tubercles to…
11-11/12/13-20 “Each day may prove to be a new jackpot”
Fortune. I truly have the greatest job in the world. After a harrowing (near death) experience in the mountains, where I spend my abundant spare time, what better place to return to, than the almighty sea? Only the great expanses of water, with their wind and waves (or lack therof, in this case) could conjure up such a wide array of emotion and majesty. Three days in a row, we have had spectacular trips. Languid rolls, and air held still. Three days, all the same, yet all unique. Each one, hosting only a single trip; tourism has all but come to a halt. Thursday had only four passengers! Yet the whales abound; each trip saw anywhere between 8 and 20 humpbacks. Wednesday, we quickly found 50 Risso’s Dolphin, who boasted some acrobatics. Thursday, hosted over 300 more (as well as…