Long-Beaked Common Dolphins and Humpbacks Off Moss Landing

Calm, clear waters greeted us off Moss Landing during our mid-day trip aboard Ocean Spirit. The standout encounter was a high-energy stampede of approximately 300 long-beaked common dolphins charging through the area in close coordination.

This fast-paced surface behavior is typical when pods are actively transiting or shifting focus within a feeding ground. Nearby, roughly 200 California sea lions were scattered across the area, working the water alongside localized aggregations of seabirds, including Common Murres, sooty shearwaters, California brown pelicans, and western gulls.

Throughout the excursion, we also recorded eight humpback whales foraging throughout the Moss Landing area. The glassy sea conditions provided effortless tracking of their spouts and surface intervals between deeper foraging dives.

Clear, flat days like today offer an excellent window into the subtle behavioral interactions and rich food webs that regularly assemble just off our coast.