Nine Orcas and Six Humpback Whales in Monterey Bay

Our morning departure aboard Sanctuary encountered exceptionally calm, glassy waters, providing ideal conditions for tracking a pod of nine killer whales just outside the harbor. As the first vessel on the water at 8:00 a.m., we spent nearly an hour alone with these apex predators as they hunted California sea lions. The group included the well-known adult males "Jimmy" and "Bumper," who exhibited highly coordinated predatory behavior, at one point pursuing a sea lion that attempted to use our stationary hull as shelter.

This close-quarters encounter offered a clear look at the tactical intelligence of mammal-eating killer whales. When hunting, these family groups rely on stealth and sudden, cooperative bursts of speed. Later, during our mid-day trip, we located the same pod and observed a distinct shift in their behavior. The predatory focus gave way to social and play states, with the whales engaging in repetitive breaching and tail-slapping across the flat surface of the bay.

The calm conditions persisted into the afternoon, with water temperatures holding at 59.5°F and virtually no wind. On our final run, we shifted focus to the canyon edge where we encountered six humpback whales. The whales were actively lunge-feeding on a dense bait ball of anchovies, working alongside California sea lions to corral the school near the surface.

Observing both the apex predators and the baleen whales exploiting different trophic levels in a single day highlights the immense seasonal productivity of the Monterey Submarine Canyon. It is a grounded reminder of how quickly energy moves through this temperate marine ecosystem when conditions align.