Halo the Humpback Whale 10-25-2020
Halo the humpback whale has been a superstar here in the Monterey Bay the last few days!! This humpback whale calf has dazzled the fleet with his (Yes, we think he is a male) curious nature towards boats and even appears friendly at times. He hung out with the Pacifica for a good period of…
10-21-20 9am “Defies Belief!”-Friendly calf & lunge feeding
Every now and then, we experience a day that defies belief and (more importantly here) defies description. Some claim the “Holy Grail of Whale Watching” to be a breaching whale. However, there is one other thing a whale can do that will send your heart thumping into overdrive, and that is when a whale simply comes to say, “Hello.” Yes, today’s morning trip started simple enough: an occasional humpback here and there; classic fluke shots for all. On our third stop, however, a young calf could not resist its own curiosity and chose to forego the company of his (or her) mother to come say hello to some screaming monkeys. Scream we did, as the “little” tyke practically scratched against the boat several times, routinely surfacing within arm’s reach of the boat for some indescribable length of time. This went…
World Record Divers!-The Cuvier’s Beaked Whale
First off, I know what you are thinking, what in the world is a Cuvi-what whale?? There are 23 different species of Beaked whales which all have a long snout or “beak” and they are very deep diving animals. Their deep diving abilities are what we are highlighting and in awe of in this post….
10-7-20 “Overcast, Breaches, & Sea Otters”
Our 9AM trip left to another overcast day. We looked around for a whole hour and a half before spotting our first whales. We spotted 4 humpback whales, 2 of which were feeding down deep underwater. We stayed with these 2 for a good while as they dove and resurfaced, while the other 2 moved…
9-30-20 “Foggy Days Bring the Rain”
Wednesday’s morning trip was a foggy one. Due to extremely low visibility we had a lot of trouble keeping on any whales at all. With Captain Danny, Fredo as crew, and a load of 14 passengers, the Pacifica carried us north, just off the coast of Moss Landing. We saw big flocks of sooty shearwaters, Brandt’s cormorants, and the occasional raft (group) of sea lions. Also, under the boat, using our sonar, we saw mind-boggling amounts of anchovies. These schools were 100 feet tall, and several hundred yards in diameter. With all this food around we knew there were whales, we just couldn’t see more than 75 yards around the boat! In all we briefly saw 5 humpback whales, but as soon as they’d dive, they would be gone. This was not the type of trip we like to be…
9-26-20 “Surf’s Up!”
Surf’s up! Monterey’s first big swell of the year arrived yesterday, and 12 foot rollers added an adventurous feel to today’s morning trip. With clear skies and calm winds, Capt Danny charged into into the Bay with jolly abandon, singing songs the whole way in his classic baritone. Along the way, many Harbor Porpoise were spotted, dashing about the boat here and there, and it wasn’t long until we found ourselves amidst the presence on the mighty humpback. Amongst the 9 or so whales in the area, we enjoyed the company of a group of four (a good find for an otherwise-solitary animal). As we tracked the beasts, a massive Ocean Sunfish appeared, and we diverted for a few minutes to check her out! One of the biggest seen this year, said Sunfish was none too shy of the boat,…
9-25-20 “Mola, dolphins, swells, & breaches!”
We kicked off the morning trip by heading north toward the deep-sea canyon. We had an all-star crew of Captain Rod, and Fredo as crew, aboard the Pacifica. There was a decent swell of about 8 feet, and brilliant sunshine. Half way to the canyon we came across a huge ocean sunfish! (mola mola). We…
9-24-20 “Calm Seas & Humpbacks”
Blue blue, blue! The post-smoke alleviation still resounds with the fleet, as light breezes, clear skies, and calm seas grace the passengers. Today’s morning trip encountered some ten humpback whales. Again, the hoard of Risso’s Dolphin made an appearance for the AM tour. The afternoon winds picked up a bit, and the PM passengers enjoyed a bit of a fun ride while we relocated the morning’s whales, some 6 in total. Alas, the dolphin were not to be seen, but as far as statistics go, it only means that we’re bound to see them tomorrow!
9-23-20 “Blue Bird Day”
Another blue bird day out on the water, with Captain JJ Rasler behind the helm. Little known fact about Rasler: He’s quite the singer. The wheelhouse was aglow with vocals as we bounded across the sea, finding no less than 11 humpback whales and over 300 Risso’s Dolphin (with a few scattered Pacific White Sided Dolphin in tow). Overall, a light hearted, easy day on the bay. -Naturalist Isaiah
9-22-20 “Lunge Feeding & Orcas!”
On Tuesday morning, with Rod our Captain, and Fredo the crewmember, we took off into a foggy Monterey Bay. The Pacifica took us out to sea until we hit the edge of the Monterey Bay Submarine Canyon. We continued, seeing more birds and sea lions, a great sign there was food in the area. Knowing we were getting closer, we all were on high alert. Finally we spotted Risso’s dolphins, just five of them at first, but as we continued through the fog, we saw more and more of them. This pod was extremely spread out. After seeing 50 or so, we turned back toward Monterey, as we’d heard some reports of whale sightings. Just 2 miles outside the Monterey harbor, we found them. There were 4 humpback whales, feeding alongside 300 sea lions, hundreds of western gulls, California brown…
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….
9-17-20 “Short Fin Mako Shark!”
Again, the fog returns, though looking up revealed a blue sky in wait. Visibility cleared fast, and again Captain Danny had no trouble finding another large group of humpback whales. Along the way, dozens of harbor porpoise offered great looks, a rare treat for such shy creatures. Just as we thought the day couldn’t get any better, a Short Fin Mako shark appeared! Said shark was none too timid, and we enjoyed his company for several minutes before he turned, and swam right underneath the boat (!) and dove down. After returning to the humpbacks for a good while, we headed home, content.