Naturalist Blog

One and done today, a stark contrast to yesterday’s 3 trips. Large waves continued to dominate the coast, as we ventured out of Monterey harbor. The Risso’s Dolphin were in there (lately) usual hang out, and this time we even saw Casper, the albino! Farther north, the Humpbacks also continued to ravage the anchovies, and some 15 or so were sighted, with occasional surface lunge feeds! More sea shanties, more happy passengers! -Naturalist Isaiah

Oh, how the seasons seem to come and go. Today marked the first day of the year that had three trips! While large-ish waves rolled through the bay, the wind held back and the Pacifica thrice ventured out to the humpback grounds. All three trips were the same (and gladly so): roughly 20 humpbacks were sighted, and amongst them were groups of 2 and 3 and 4. Additionally, a large pod of roughly 200 Risso’s Dolphin spent the entire day in front of the Aquarium, and were seen on each trip. With a sea shanty here and there, our passengers had a great time! -Naturalist Isaiah

Surf’s up! With ten foot swells, the Pacifica had itself a nice rollercoaster ride today as we ventured once again to the north. Not far from the harbor, we encountered some 15 humpbacks, and settled on a group of four who were being swarmed by over 100 sea lions (the sea lions eat the same fish as the humpbacks). With massive schools of fish showing up on the sonar, it was a true feeding frenzy. Just south of there, we found a group of roughly 50 Risso’s dolphin, who led us almost all the way back to the harbor before we turned off and made one final lap out west, to Pt Pinos, where we encountered roughly 30 Pacific White Sided Dolphin, who surfed the bow of the boat for quite some time until it was time to head home….

The morning was cold and gloomy as we embarked on our midweek whale watch. By the time we had made it to wharf 2 in Monterey Harbor, Capt Danny was already spotting dolphins. We cruised past our local rambunctious sea lions to look at a group of about 50 Risso’s Dolphin spread out. At first they were being a bit shy but within a few minutes we got great close passes, and with high hopes we headed out to the west to find their larger cousins. Thirty minutes turned to 45, and 45 into an hour, until after an hour and a quarter we were as anxious as our passengers to be watching whales. After our long loop out west, we came back into the bay and at last found several humpback whales chasing their prey. As we sat and…

As fierce southerly winds loomed on the forecast, Captain Danny, along with myself (Isaiah) and our deckhand Andrew seized a good weather window to venture out into the bay and to change some lives. Right out of the gate, we encountered a large pod of roughly 150 Risso’s Dolphin by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. After watching several breaches and head slaps, we pushed north, to the Monterey Submarine Canyon, where the same hordes of Humpback Whales have been feeding on absolutely massive schools of anchovies. Indeed, by the end of the trip, we counted roughly 20 individuals, with groups from two to four all around. All the while, the wind held back, and patchy alto-cumulus clouds painted an opalescent hue to our viewings. Just as we finished up with a group of competitive-breeding humpbacks (3 males and 1 female), a…

Blue skies and solar rays greeted us as M.V. Pacifica ventured out this morning to find a plethora of Humpback Whales, some 6 in total. Along the way out, we spied a quick look at a Minke Whale as well, though the creature proved elusive (as minke whales are known to be). We settled on a group of 3 humpback whales, and got fantastic looks before heading back for our second trip. Afternoon winds kicked up, and added to the quintessential roller coaster ride that Monterey is famous for, though we had little trouble with our seaworthy crew (and passengers) and we easily found a group of roughly 30 Risso’s Dolphin. After the dolphin, we kept finding groups of humpback whales (totaling 9) and eventually found a lone whale (actually a well known individual named “Braille Whale”) who breached over…

Happy St. Patrick’s day! In celebration, mother nature turned up the volume today, adding a stiff breeze on top of some good swells and providing a full value adventure for today’s passengers. Our first trip made its way out west, stumbling upon a small pod of Risso’s Dolphin near Pt. Pinos. After the dolphin, we pushed a little farther offshore, and found a group of 3 grey whales, steadily heading north towards the Arctic Circle. Winds increased (and so too did the swells) for our second trip, so we decided to stay inside the bay, and banked on humpback whales. Just as we made it to the middle of the Monterey Submarine Canyon, a giant splash caught our attention amongst the white caps, and sure enough, it was a pair of humpback whales. We watched them for a long time,…

It was cold but sunny as I arrived at the wharf today. Our morning crowd checked in a bit early, so we eagerly took advantage and got out on the water ahead of schedule. The Sea Lion bulls seemed especially loud in their usual haunts under the commercial wharf and after our brief visit with them, Captain Rod took us out into the bay. The crowd was friendly and engaging and handled the heaving ride well as we cruised westward into the swell. It felt a bit quiet on the water but at last we found Captain Kate on the High Spirits and shared looks of three Gray Whales making their northbound journey. They were showing well and eventual gave us a very close pass, by which time we were ready to explore again. We found one solo Gray Whale…

It was cold but sunny as I arrived at the wharf today. Our morning crowd checked in a bit early, so we eagerly took advantage and got out on the water ahead of schedule. The Sea Lion bulls seemed especially loud in their usual haunts under the commercial wharf and after our brief visit with them, Captain Rod took us out into the bay. The crowd was friendly and engaging and handled the heaving ride well as we cruised westward into the swell. It felt a bit quiet on the water but at last we found Captain Kate on the High Spirits and shared looks of three Gray Whales making their northbound journey. They were showing well and eventual gave us a very close pass, by which time we were ready to explore again. We found one solo Gray Whale…

Yippy kayay! Large ocean swells greeted us this morning, as captain and co-owner Mat took the helm, and deftly found us a bounty of animals. All told, our morning trip saw 2 humpback whales, a large group of 7 grey whales, twenty risso’s dolphin, and 15 harbor porpoise (who gave us great looks). As the winds began to rise, we quickly made for Monterey to pick up an afternoon trip. The second tour was greeted by the mighty of the sea, with roller coaster mode fully engaged. Early on, we found a group of two humpbacks, which we watched for a long while before spotting a handful of Risso’s dolphin. We watched the dolphin until the winds and waves became strong enough that we made our way home. Just before the harbor, we crossed paths with a handful of bottlenose…

Today was all about dichotomy, a reminder that each and every trip is unique. This morning, we set out into glassy and calm seas with a light overcast. To the North, out in the middle of Monterey Bay, we found 2 separate Humpback Whales. The first breached once as we approached it, then becoming elusive. Hence, we pressed on, and quickly found another who, by coincidence, was also a breacher. However, this one was a chronic breacher! Over and over again, the whale alternated between breaching, tail slapping, and pectoral fin slapping. Our passengers were rendered speechless. After quite some time, we made our way home, only to find a large pod of some 100 Risso’s Dolphin, with Casper (the albino!) in their ranks. Finally, we made it home, and set out again with a fresh load of souls out…

Killer whales! Not just any killer whales, but the one and only Fat Fin (with his female cohort CA169)! Both Saturday and Sunday did he make an appearance, out in the middle of Monterey Bay. At times, Fat Fin is known to be hit-or-miss for his rambunctious behavior. Both days, he was very cooperative, casually milling about, affording good looks and feasting on the occasional sea lion.  Additionally, the Grey Whale migration continues to dominate our coastline, as well as the ever-present Risso’s Dolphin, and the odd Humpback Whale. With fair weather and great passengers, February draws to a close on a high note! –Naturalist Isaiah