Sunday, October 25, 2026
Hide and Seek
Bottlenose dolphins outside the harbor mouth kicked off our trip. Excited to see these iconic marine mammals, passengers rushed to the rails for a better look. While those on the boat were elated, the bottlenose dolphins appeared to be having a lazy Sunday morning.
Sanctuary left the dolphins behind and headed west to search for humpbacks, which proved elusive. Historically, the California, Oregon and Washington population has begun departing from our waters in mid-November. During the weeks prior, these behemoths gorge on a ton or more of anchovies daily in preparation for the lean months in the tropical breeding area. Reduced sightings of late could be because the whales are diving deeper than usual in search of food, or that they are beginning their migration earlier than usual.
Four miles out we spotted a few common dolphins. As we continued west, more and more common dolphins raced along the boat and then at our one o'clock a tall blow appeared a mile or so ahead! Approaching the solitary humpback we spotted two more blows quite close.
Passengers arose from travel-mode and lined the port side railing awaiting several surfacings. Whooshing breaths signaled when the whales were up. While their surface behaviors elicited a flurry of excited photographic activity onboard Sanctuary, the mood among the whales seemed to be more business-like, as they took repeated deep dives in search of anchovies.
Humpback whales from Washington, Oregon and northern California are also on the way down to their breeding grounds. Hopefully, the Monterey Bay will provide a respite and ample anchovies before they continue on the journey south.