September 30 – Common, Risso’s, and Northern Right Whale Dolphins. Oh, and MULTIPLE Blue Whales!
We were super excited to get out there today – the swell had nearly completely disappeared, the wind was barely noticeable, and we were ready to go out to find some whales. Captain Rod was at the helm while myself and Alfredo were out on the deck looking for wildlife and hanging out with our…
September 29 – Fluking, Breaching, Lunging Humpbacks Whales!! And a Beach Ball.
I was itching to get out on the water today. We were unable to go out yesterday due to the ocean conditions, but it had calmed down a bit today so we were all set to go! We set sail on the Pacifica with myself, Captain Rod, and Deckhand Reed. We met a bit of…
27 September – Risso’s Dolphins, an Albino, an Albatross, and Humpback Whales!
Today we set sail into overcast conditions with a very slow, small swell. I was pretty happy personally that the sun was hiding away – nice and chill, not too cold, not too hot. Captain JJ, Daniel Rosa, and I made our way out west on the Chubasco and started off the day with a…
September 25th – Risso’s Dolphins and Lunge Feeding Humpbacks!
Another nice, sunny, hot day at the wharf. Captain JJ, Daniel Rosa and I set sail on the Chubasco straight out west to see what might pop up – we had perfect visibility all the way to the horizon and the sea conditions were rather nice, so we were pretty excited to get onto our…
September 24th – Humpback Whales, Risso’s Dolphins, Pacific White-Sided Dolphins!
We left Monterey harbour with a blue sky, a hot sun, and we were quite happy to meet a little bit of wind to take a bit of edge off the heat. Passing the harbour breakwater covered in California Sea Lions, Captain John picked up speed and carried us out west on the Pacifica, as…
School Resources
Ocean Chemistry Materials from Stanford University https://kidsandclimate.stanford.edu
CA State Parks & Discovery Whale Watch School Trips
Welcome! This page is for updates and information for the school program hosted collaboratively between CA State Parks and Discovery Whale Watch. Curriculum: Historical Whale Walking Tour 2018 Microplastics Optional Lab Water Quality Monitoring in the Monterey Bay Lab La Motte Vertical Water Sampler Protocol Plankton Monitoring Investigation Lab Plankton_Protocol_061617 Kelp Adaptation and…
10/21/18 Science Sunday Notes
10/21/18 Science Sunday Free lecture at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center at Long Marine Lab – Santa Cruz, CA Topic: Mysteries of Davidson Seamount and Sur Ridge Revealed – Exploring ancient, deep-sea coral communities Speaker: Dr. Andrew DeVogelaere – Research Coordinator / SIMoN Program Director for Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Since 2008 the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary has included a seamount within its boundaries: Davidson Sea Mount. Dr. Andrew DeVogelaere spoke at Science Sunday about explorations and comparisons of Davidson Sea Mount, Sur Ridge and the Monterey Canyon. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has been studying the deep-sea habitats of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary with remote operated vehicles (ROVs) and underwater autonomous vehicles (UAVs). Since 2002 they have documented and classified 19 new species during their explorations. Some of the most impressive creatures they document…
Specialty Trips – Sunrise Photography Trips
Specialty Trips: Sunrise Photography Trips Offered every Wednesday! These trips will be geared towards spending more time with whales during ideal lighting hours for photography and enjoyment. We will be searching for a wide variety of wildlife including large whales, dolphins, Killer Whales, seabirds and more! Our resident photographer Slater Moore will be on board to help give you photography advice. He will also be taking photos, videos and flying his drone when conditions allow. Our marine biologist, Katlyn Taylor will be on board to narrate the trip, help you learn how to spot wildlife and to take video above and below the surface when conditions allow. She will also be taking research data in collaboration with Happywhale on board and help you learn how to be a citizen scientist and a contributor to Humpback Whale research. Trip depart weekly…
September 6th 2018
We had some surprise visitors today! After months without a sighting we came across a group of Common Dolphins! The name of the species is truly Common Dolphin – mostly because they are encountered in all the world’s oceans. We typically see them when sea temperatures rise in the bay. You are more likely to…
August 24th 2018
Sea conditions were gorgeous today! There was hardly any swell and no wind on the bay. Slater Moore joined us onboard this morning and made a vlog of today’s trip. We sighted scattered Humpbacks throughout the trips but a mom and calf pair stole the show. As we followed the mom and baby Humpback pair…
August 10th 2018 (Vlog)
It was a terrible day to be an anchovy! We had excellent lunge feeding on all three of our trips. The humpbacks were north along the sand dunes which made it easy to find them on all of our departures despite fog off and on all day. Slater Moore, our photographer, joined us for our…