04-29-2013: 20-30 Humpbacks Show up in The Bay, Breaching, Tail Lobbing, Risso’s Dolphins, Game On

A humpback whale throws a massive tail lob. Photo: Welch, 04-29-2013
A humpback whale throws a massive tail lob. Photo: Welch, 04-29-2013

Incredible is all I can say. What a difference a day makes. On Sunday we had a hard time finding one humpback. There were various reports of scattered animals and orcas moving at a fast pace to the Southwest. But the weather was ruff and that limited where we could go. So we ended up finding a humpback that was just kind of cruising. And then the wind picked up and made the going rough.

Monday was a whole different story. We had some fisherman reports of whales over near the Soquel Canyon to the Northwest of Moss and a few more to the Southwest. Also reports of dolphins in the area. So we were pretty stoked about that.

But as we got closer to the area, it turned out to be the land of whales and honey. Spouts in all directions. Breaching and tail lobbing. Lunge feeding. Things have turned around in The Bay and spring is here with a vengeance. We also heard reports of about 15+ killer whales further out. But the wind picked up too quick and hard for us to get out there. So we just hunkered down with a handful of lively humpbacks.

What a day. It just keeps getting better and better. The problem was that the wind picked up quick and made for some rocking and rolling. But we had some amazing looks and an outstanding trip. Too rough for me to shoot any good photographs though. Remarkable none the less. Sometimes I just need to hold the boat so passengers are as comfortable as possible.

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