Moss Landing Lunge Feeding Humpback Whale
After we came across this massive krill patch outside of Moss Landing, these two humpbacks just started feasting. Photo: Michael Sack, www.sanctuarycruises.com, 04-30-2014.

Today was all about the lunge feeding humpbacks. Right out the gate we started tracking a few close in humpbacks that were on the hunt.

Monterey Bay Lunge Feeding Humpback Whales
Synchronized surface lunge feeding. These two were cooperatively feeding together. Bubble blasts preceded just about every surface lunge. Photo: Michael Sack, www.sanctuarycruises.com 04-30-2014

But they were not spending much time at the surface and seemed to be travelling. So we broke off and went to another couple of whales we noticed a mile or two to the SW.

Monterey Bay Lunge Feeding Humpback Whales
More surface lunge feeding madness. Photo: Michael Sack, www.sanctuarycruises.com 04-30-2014.

We tracked them for a while and got into a nice rhythm. Then we started seeing Krill. At first we were seeing small balls. Then we came across an area that had krill for as far as we could see around the boat.

Monterey Bay Humpback Whales
Here they are again. The only behavior these two were doing was surface lunge feeding. So we just stayed with them. Pretty much all the photos’s from today are of surface lunge feeding. Photo: Michael Sack, www.sanctuarycruises.com 04-30-2014.

That’s when the feeding frenzy began. And it didn’t stop for 2 hours.

Here is a massive surface lunge. Here they are again. The only behavior these two were doing was surface lunge feeding. So we just stayed with them. Pretty much all the photos's from today are of surface lunge feeding. Photo: Michael Sack, www.sanctuarycruises.com 04-30-2014.
Here is another massive surface lunge. Photo: Michael Sack, www.sanctuarycruises.com 04-30-2014.
Lunging and more lunging. Photo: Michael Sack, www.sanctuarycruises.com 04-30-2014.
Lunging and more lunging. Photo: Michael Sack, www.sanctuarycruises.com 04-30-2014.
It really was pretty much non-stop every 3-5 minutes these animals would just surface and lunge. Photo: MIchael Sack, www.sanctuarycruises.com 04-30-2014.
It really was pretty much non-stop every 3-5 minutes these animals would just surface and lunge. Photo: MIchael Sack, www.sanctuarycruises.com 04-30-2014.
Monterey Bay Humpback Whale
Check out the perfectly aligned baleen plates. Photo: Michael Sack, www.sanctuarycruises.com 04-30-2014.
Monterey Bay Humpback Whale
What can I say. All they were doing was lunge feeding. Photo: MIchael Sack, www.sanctuarycruises.com 04-30-2014.

 

 

 

 

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