Month: August 2013

08-28-2013 Playful humpback whale calf steals the show

Today we started with a pair of adult whales very close to Moss Landing who were really sleeping. They logged on the surface of the water in full sight for over 45 minutes while we patiently hung around and waited for them to wake up. A hoard of young sea lions pestered them mercilessly but they just slept through it all. So we had great and long close up looks at two very sleepy whales. Then we headed out to the action zone just a half mile further west where three groups of humpbacks were circling around their prey and the birds and sea lions were going bonkers. It was fun to watch. The fog crept in and out and were were worried we lost the whales, when we spotted some in the distance. Our playful calf with its mom Capt. Hook was back! This very calf had put on a breaching fest just two days ago for three trips in a row, so we were happy to find it again. This calf never fails to delight and today was not exception. It rolled and slapped and tail lobbed over and over and over again right next to our boat! Just to keep things interesting a lone humpback would periodically buzz our boat within ten feet. What a thrill!
These humpbacks whales are really putting on a great show and now is the time to get aboard and enjoy our marine bounty in great conditions!

08-16-2013 The Amazing Spyhopping Humpback!

The marine conditions have been excellent for viewing whales the past three weeks in the Monterey Bay. We have been viewing 8-10 whales consistently within 10 minutes of the Moss Landing harbor. These leviathans are feeding on an abundance of anchovies. Today, as soon as the fog cleared yielding flat calm green seas, a young humpback whale did a spy hop (where they position their heads vertically above the water to get a look at their surroundings), much to every passengers’ delight. Add a large school of salmon, good views of a sunfish (Mola mola) and a pod of bottlenose dolphins to the mix, and we had another fantastic trip. Saturday we have added an 8 – 10 am trip at a reduced price and also a 2:30 pm trip. It doesn’t get much better than this!

Photo by Giancarlo Thomae
Photo by Giancarlo Thomae

08-14-2013 Amazing Humpback Action plus Risso’s Dolphins

We had cloudy conditions to begin the day, but we immediately had whales right out of the harbor. We were with multiple Humpback whales and within the first minute, a large adult breached clear out of the water twice. It was a spectacular sight to start the day.

We spent some time with the Humpbacks watching them swim and dive and after awhile we headed out west to find some Risso’s dolphins. By this point the sun was breaking through and all the clouds were all but gone. We found a pod of about 40 dolphins and they got within a few feet of the boat. One dolphin decided to show off and breached 5 times, which was a fun sighting. We got word of a big pod of 500 dolphins so we left the pod and headed out to find the other dolphins. On our way we came across a 5 foot Ocean Sunfish who floated on the surface right next to our boat and we were all staring him in the eye!

We arrived shortly after with all the dolphins and floated in the middle of the massive pod. The dolphins surrounded the boat and you couldn’t look a long direction. They breached, tail-lobbed and did many other acrobatic tricks. After 20 minutes with the pod, we headed back towards Moss Landing to get some more looks at the Humpback whales. We found around 7 whales and one of them breached 3 times in a marvelous display. It was a perfect way to end a great day.

Breaching Humpback at Moss Landing Photo by Chase Dekker
Breaching Humpback at Moss Landing Photo by Chase Dekker

08-14-2013 Humpbacks are hanging around Moss Landing

Moss is the place to be for whale watching in Monterey Bay right now. We have been viewing 8-12 whales daily very close to Moss Landing as they feed in wide circles on the abundant anchovies. The bird action has been stunning as well. The big prize yesterday was a huge adult humpback whale that came right alongside Sanctuary and breached three times – just to make sure all the passengers got a good look! Add molas, blue sharks and abundant jellies to the mix and we had a fantastic trip. To top it off the Pacific bottlenose dolphins treated us to some great views as they cruised right by the harbor mouth upon our return to port. Now is the time to see whales very close to shore here in Moss Landing!

08-06-2013: Near Perfect Conditions Continue, Humpbacks Five Minutes Out, Massive Flocks of Sooty Shearwaters, Anchovies, Lunge-Feeding Humpbacks, Calm Glassy Conditions

Moss Landing Humpback Whale
The sea lions seemed to be harassing the humpbacks. They would follow the humpbacks in packs. Photo: Michael Sack, 08-04-2013.

I can’t remember a better stretch of outstanding whale watching and perfect marine conditions. So good we’ve been doing two trips per day and getting in at least 3+ hours of face time with the mighty but agile humpback whale.

Moss Landing Humpback Whale
A massive humpback does a surface lunge feed and it comes up on a school of anchovies. Photo: Michael Sack, 08-03-2013.

It gives us a chance to explore. Maybe find a leatherback turtle like the one below.

 

Moss Landing Leatherback turtle
We came across another jelly eating leatherback turtle. Photo: Giancarlo Thomae, 08-06-2013.

For the last few weeks we’ve been spotting blows before we’re even out of the harbor. So it’s nice to be on the whales within the first 10 minutes of a four-hour trip. We’ve also been finding Risso’s dolphins a little further out.

Moss Landing Risso's Dolphin
A mother Risso’s dolphin shows it’s newborn calf the ways of the Monterey Bay. Photo: Giancarlo Thomae.

But best show has been the humpbacks. We’ve been seeing lunge feeding, full-breaching, tail lobbing and a lot more.

Moss Landing Humpback Whale
A humpback whale completes a surface lunge just outside of the Moss Landing Harbor. Notice the cormorant getting some of the leftovers. Photo: Michael Sack, 08–04.

We’ve also been seeing Mola Molas, the occasional young female elephant seal and the occasional wayward northern fur seal.

Breaching Moss Landing Humpback
And then there was all the breaching. Photo: Chase Dekker, 08-02-2013.

So far the incredible conditions are holding and the whales are here en mass. And they’ve been very active. Breaching and tail-lobbing. Just amazing.