Sunday, August 30, 2026
Calm, glassy conditions off Moss Landing set the stage for exceptional humpback whale activity today on all three trips aboard Sanctuary.
Massive bait balls drew around sixty humpbacks into the area, where they surface fed with horizontal and vertical lunges.
During the morning trip, we even had a curious pair of humpbacks approach Sanctuary spy-hopping and rolling around. Several individuals breached throughout the day in their favorite spot, “over there”.
Our midday trip encountered a pod of forty long-beaked common dolphins, which alternated between playing with the boat and feeding.
Days with this much bait illustrate the nutrient-rich conditions that define late summer in Monterey Bay.