Humpback Whales and Abundant Common Dolphin Nursery Pods

Calm, glassy water provided optimal viewing conditions across Monterey Bay today. From our morning departure through the mid-day trip aboard Sanctuary, marine mammal activity was widespread, with dolphin pods scattered across the calm surface in every direction.

We documented both varieties of common dolphin, estimating roughly 1,000 short-beaked and 500 long-beaked individuals today. Many of these groupings included nursery pods, with young calves tucked in close alongside adult females. The mirror-flat surface gave us clear visibility of their synchronized breathing and fluid underwater pacing.

Seven humpback whales were observed across the two trips. Given the steady, directional travel patterns we've been observing, most of our humpbacks were early migrators. Those that have remained are taking longer dives as bait balls of anchovies are aggregating lower in the water column.

Clear, windless days like today make visible late-fall shifts in Monterey Bay, allowing us to watch the seasonal ebb and flow of our local marine mammal populations.