Lunge-Feeding Humpbacks and Common Dolphins at the Shark Park

On our mid-day trip aboard Sanctuary, we navigated a light northwest chop to find a highly active feeding frenzy at the area locally known as the "shark park." Here, we observed twelve humpback whales aggressively lunge-feeding on a dense bait ball, their massive ventral pleats expanding as they broke the surface to engulf seawater and prey.

This energetic multi-species feeding event also drew in a pod of approximately two hundred long-beaked common dolphins. Humpbacks and common dolphins often exploit the same bait schools; the fast-moving dolphins help corral the fish near the surface, which inadvertently sets up the perfect opportunity for the whales to lunge through the concentrated bait ball.

In addition to the high-energy feeding activity, we were fortunate to get clear looks at three harbor porpoises. Harbor porpoises are among the shyest cetaceans in Monterey Bay, typically avoiding vessels and appearing only briefly as small, dark shapes that slice through the water without the dramatic surface behavior of their dolphin cousins.

With the water temperature holding at 60.1°F and clear skies overhead, today's encounter offered a perfect window into the complex food webs that make the Monterey Canyon such a productive ecosystem during the summer months.