Naturalist Blog

The return of sunshine and calm seas to our coastline was a welcome relief for our trips today. For our sightings, cow-calf pairs of Humpback Whales dominated our trips. The story of these mothers’ sacrifice to grow, give birth to, and raise giants year after year is one of my favorites to tell. It is such a profound legacy that they protect. The combination of sightings and calm seas was additionally enhanced by our route. We spent much of our time today along the coast of the Monterey peninsula, even making it as far south as Point Lobos on our morning trips. My favorite coastline to whale watch from. All told, another beautiful and successful day whale watching out of Monterey.

One and done, today, as Captain Danny led us out to the Northwest Corner of the Monterey Submarine Canyon. There, we found a group of three humpbacks whales, along with a small pod of not-so-common Common Dolphin, who leapt from the water here and there, and then we found a medium sized pod of Risso’s Dolphin, which we watched until the great wind machine turned on… riling up the seas and sending us home right on time. With deteriorating conditions, we were forced to cancel the afternoon trips. One, and done. –Naturalist Isaiah

Every day in Monterey Bay is an adventure, however adventures aren’t all rainbows and sunshine. Some adventures have a lot of fog, and fog is the enemy of whale watchers. We leave the shelter of Monterey Harbor and go out to discover what Mother Nature has in store for us. We do our discovering with our eyes, searching for the breath of the whales and letting the ancient phrase fly, “there she blows!” When our visibility is hampered so too is our whale watching success. Thank goodness for our radios. This Wednesday’s whale watching trips on board the New Horizon were rife with the struggles of limited visibility, but with the help of our friends from Moss Landing we spent both our trips with a mother humpback and her calf. These two whales saved the day for all the whale…

As international tourism blossoms once again in Monterey Bay, business is doing quite well. All three of our boats were sent out this morning in search of creatures large and strange, all of which were readily found. Lunge feeding humpback whales, Risso’s Dolphin, and even a mighty Blue Whale were all found on the morning trip, which also boasted fantastic weather. Being shorter, our afternoon trip stayed closer to home, and found yet another group of lunger feeding humpbacks. Every few minutes, massive shoals of anchovies would burst from the water, signaling where the lunge would occur. Some 400 sea lions, and dozens of gulls also helped aid in tracking the whales (they all frenzy upon the anchovies). The evening tour was much the same, though weather did deteriorate as that old familiar wind began to rise. Otherwise, our passengers…

Three trips, with beautiful seas yet again, all with a dozen or so humpbacks. This morning included 2 blue whales and several risso’s dolphin, and this afternoon trip yielded one of the best breaches I have ever photographed. The third trip? Several breaches, many tail throws, and a gorgeous sunset. What a day!!!! -Naturalist Isaiah

Deja Deja Vu, and with Blue Whales! The same humpbacks continue to lunge feed with sea lions close to shore, and on our morning trip, we ventured west and found three blue whales! Killer weather, and wholesome passengers made for yet ANOTHER magical day on the water. Get it while its here! -Naturalist Isaiah

Deja vu! Flat calm seas, GORGEOUS skies, and millions of anchovies being ravaged by dozens of humpback whales alongside hordes of sea lions. Each of three trips saw between 6 and 10 humpback whales, and 30-50 risso’s dolphins. Lunge feeds, sea shanties, and great people made for yet another memorable day. -Naturalist Isaiah

Fantastic weather continues to hold, with fog only proving to be a slight nuisance (not really a problem). Humpback whales have moved into the bay, and three trips in a row found LARGE groups (6-10) within four miles of the harbor, all feeding on massive schools of anchovies alongside hundreds of sea lions and birds. Surface lunge feeds, occasional breaches in the distance, and consistent surface time all boiled down to absolutely high quality trips, as the royal chemistry of life flourishes and phytoplankton uphold this majestic ecosystem we call “Monterey Bay.” Additional note: today marked a special day in my whale watching career. As the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (aka MBARI) runs a live hydrophone feed in the Monterey Submarine Canyon, I have occasionally played it over the microphone for passengers to “listen to Monterey Bay” throughout the…

After several immaculate days of calm seas, things boiled a bit on the water, as a rising breeze sent a lump through the bay: calm at first, though enough to cancel our 5pm tour (and making for a rocky afternoon. Otherwise, our passengers handled it well enough that I was very impressed with their fortitude and enthusiasm. Whales? Of course! Some ten humpbacks here and there along the Monterey Submarine Canyon, and even a Minke whale was sighted briefly on the morning tour. Nothing out of the ordinary, but nothing bad! Happy people and a fun time for the crew. Gotta love your job! -Naturalist Isaiah

Three stellar trips bled into one another, each producing about 6 to 8 humpback whales each, each with dozens of sea lions and hundreds of birds, all swarming what must have been a formidable school of anchovies the entire day. In the end, the humpbacks alone would account for some 360,000 anchovies lost to the grand chemistry of life at sea. Our third trip witnessed numerous lunge feeds at the surface, and sky high tail flukes before calling this long day for exactly what is was: a day. -Naturalist Isaiah

Holy flying humpbacks! Today was a grand slam, three trip day of high flying humpback whales, with one “little” baby whale at the center of it all. Three trips in a row, and we found the same pair of humpbacks: a cow and  her calf. Three trips in a row, and that calf put on a fantastic display of acrobatic prowess. Interspersed with cool science facts and basic ecology, our passengers all walked away not only inspired, but with a deeper appreciation and an understanding of this amazing bay we call home. -Naturalist Isaiah

Another one and done day, as rough seas loomed on the horizon, Captain Danny led us northwest, into intermittent fog which cleared up nicely, and just in time to find a handful of humpback whales, and a small group of Risso’s Dolphin who exhibited several breaches. Nothing crazy, but nothing bad! A fine day on the water! -Naturalist Isaiah