Humpback Whales and Hundreds of Sea Lions Near Harbor

Today's mid-day run aboard Meridian brought us into a highly concentrated feeding frenzy just a mile outside the harbor mouth. We observed approximately twenty humpback whales feeding alongside a massive raft of over 650 California sea lions. The sheer volume of vocalizations and surface activity from the sea lions, combined with the powerful blows of the humpbacks, made for an incredible sensory experience close to home.

This multi-species feeding event was centered around dense bait balls of schooling forage fish. Humpbacks utilize various feeding strategies, and today we watched them lunging through the bait balls, often in close coordination with the sea lions. California sea lions are highly social and opportunistic feeders; by working the edges of the bait ball, they help keep the fish tightly schooled, which in turn benefits the lunging whales.

Earlier in the trip, we ventured further out into the bay where we encountered a few scattered humpbacks before crossing paths with a pod of 45 long-beaked common dolphins. The dolphins quickly approached the Meridian, riding our bow wave and showcasing their characteristic high-speed agility. Conditions on the bay shifted from calm to a light chop with a northwest wind around 10 knots, typical afternoon behavior for Monterey Bay.

Observing these complex trophic interactions so close to the harbor is a stark reminder of the bay's immense productivity. Near the harbor entrance, we also noted a southern sea otter resting quietly in the kelp canopy, a peaceful contrast to the offshore feeding frenzy.