Twenty-Five Feeding Humpback Whales on the Canyon Edge

Pushing out into pelagic waters during today's mid-day trip aboard Sanctuary, we encountered twenty-five humpback whales working along the outer edge of the Monterey Canyon. Despite persistent fog hanging over the bay, the distinct exhalations of feeding whales guided us directly to the drop-off.

The deep bathymetry of the submarine canyon creates localized upwellings that concentrate forage along its steep contours. Seeing twenty-five humpbacks actively feeding in these offshore waters demonstrates how critical these deep bathymetric edges are to sustaining localized foraging activity throughout late summer.

Conditions were characterized by a light chop, westerly winds under six knots, and air temperatures hovering around 60°F. The low visibility from the fog made for an intimate observation, where the sound of blows echoing across the swell signaled their movements before the animals surfaced from the mist.

It is always rewarding to track humpbacks along the canyon rim and observe these natural feeding dynamics firsthand. Days like today underscore the reliable ecological role that Monterey Bay's deep-water topography plays for these returning migrants.