Sperm Whale, Blue Whales, and Orcas in Monterey Bay

The morning run aboard Sanctuary provided a truly exceptional series of sightings, highlighted by the rare appearance of a deep-diving sperm whale over the Monterey Canyon. To observe a sperm whale in the bay is uncommon, but today we were treated to its distinct angled blow and a clean fluke-up dive as it descended to forage in the deep trench.

In addition to the sperm whale, the morning trip yielded sightings of a fin whale and two blue whales—the largest animals on earth, drawn to the bay by dense aggregations of krill. We also observed five humpback whales throughout the day, some of which exhibited energetic breaching behavior, and a pod of four orcas navigating the deeper waters.

Across our morning, mid-day, and afternoon trips, conditions shifted from calm seas to a light chop under a gentle 5.8-knot southerly breeze, with a long 16-second swell rolling through. Alongside the larger cetaceans, we encountered fifty California sea lions rafting near the canyon edge, two sea otters resting in the kelp, and two black-footed albatrosses gliding low over the water.

Having observed these waters for many years, days with this level of species diversity—spanning four distinct families of cetaceans in a single day—remain a humbling reminder of the Monterey Canyon's immense biological productivity.