Thursday, September 24, 2026
Two pods of orcas spent Thursday hunting marine mammals in Monterey Bay while at least sixty humpback whales, numerous California sea lions and hundreds of long-beaked common dolphins fed on silver anchovies.
A jetting arch of water to the north of a humpback feeding group caught our eye during the early morning trip. We scanned the area while the humpbacks continued to feed and fluke. After about ten minutes, several black fins of varying heights drew our attention and we were off to the orcas!
Hopper's pod (CA39A) is made up of four members. Hopper is the thirty-one year old daughter of Athena and has branched off from the CA39 group. Her eldest, often called Shrek (CA39A2), is a "sprouter" male known for his distinct dorsal fin. The younger two are females, with the youngest being born around 2022.
Hopper's pod travels the California coast from the Channel Islands northward. They are exceedingly fast travelers-documented swimming 300 miles from Mendocino to Monterey Bay in less than seventy two hours. Known for their stealth, it was not surprising to us that after six surfacings they eluded all four boats, including us, that were there.
Following their exit, we returned to the humpbacks whose numbers had doubled!
Soon after, a large pod of long-beaked dolphins stampeded through the area followed by Jimmy (CA50B), Andie (CA51A2) and Astrid (CA51A2A). These three, along with the rest of the CA51As, are known for their especially playful and boat-friendly behaviors.
All of this activity led to an extraordinary day of wildlife viewing for our passengers. There are few places on earth where this diversity of species and surface behaviors can be observed, and it's our pleasure to treat our guests to world-class experiences like today's.