On yet another beautiful day, Captain Rod took us out west to the canyon’s edge, where we stumbled into an unexpected (and rare) sighting: Fin Whales, and two of them. The second largest animal in Earth’s history gave us some good looks before we went exploring and found some Risso’s Dolphin to cap out the trip. The second trip consisted of entirely humpback whales – some 8 in all – and was graced with a magnificent breach from a nearby individual.
-Naturalist Isaiah
The day dawned sunny and breezy with wisps of low fog moving across the sky. The sea had gotten a little more agitated since the day before with small white caps and some northwest swell. Both the Pacifica and New Horizon pushed out west of the point, the Pacifica going southwest, and the New Horizon going west. It was a while before anyone saw anything, but after about an hour, Captain Rod on the Pacifica had spotted a pair of whales. The New Horizon moved south to join what turned out to be a couple of fin whales! Fin whales are known for their breakneck speeds which they can move at, giving them the nickname greyhounds of the sea. They’re also famous for being the second biggest whales in the world, at about 80 feet max. It had been over 6 weeks since we’d seen fin whales, as they are generally an offshore species. We watched their long sleek backs move along the surface as they’d breath up before going on 5-10 minute dives. We remained with them for about 5 surfacings, allowing everyone on board (who wasn’t seasick) to get looks at their tall curved dorsal fins that give them their name. The New Horizon left these majestic beasts and moved southwest keeping our eyes peeled for more wildlife. After a few miles of travelling we turned northeast and began trending toward home. After another few miles we came across what turned out to be another pair of fin whales, this one a mother and calf! This pair gave us better looks as they had shorter dive times and were moving in a straight line instead of zig-zagging. Before reaching the harbor we came across a Monterey classic, Risso’s dolphins. As you all may know Monterey is one of the biggest squid fisheries in the world, which brings in lots of different species to feed on those squid, including Risso’s dolphins. This was a smaller pod of about 25 individuals. They gave us great looks before we had to call it a day and move in toward the harbor.
-Naturalist Fredo
