Eight Humpback Whales and Sea Lions off Santa Cruz

We headed north toward Santa Cruz on this morning's run aboard Sanctuary, encountering a group of eight humpback whales traveling through moderately choppy waters. Despite the wind-chop, the blows were highly visible against the horizon, allowing us to track their movements as they moved steadily through the northern bay.

Accompanying the whales were five California sea lions, likely capitalizing on the same bait schools the humpbacks were targeting. At this time of year, these waters are rich with small schooling fish, drawing both pinnipeds and cetaceans into loose feeding associations where they exploit the same localized food resources.

As we returned toward the harbor, we noted a welcome sight in Moss Landing: the historic vessel Western Flyer has returned to port after being away since April. Seeing this landmark vessel back in local waters adds a nice touch of maritime history to our daily observations on the bay.

The choppy conditions today reminded us of the dynamic nature of Monterey Bay, where wind, water temperature, and coastal geography constantly shape the movements of the marine life we study.