#mbww

The weather has been overcast but calm, so we’re enjoying a break from the strong winds of last week. This Friday our early trips were treated to two friendly Humpback Whales, repeatedly breaching and tail slapping around the boat! Our photographer Daniel captured some excellent shots despite the fog.  These images are from our Naturalist Wil’s trip earlier in the week, another unexpected treat!

Saturday was less foggy but still calm out on the bay. We travelled with some northbound Gray Whales, then struck north to find a Humpback Whale feeding amongst a flock of Northern Fulmars and Common Murres. 

On our 11:30 trip we got great looks at Gray Whales, then as we headed towards the harbor, Captain Eric spotted a group of approximately 300 Common Dolphins! This pod was traveling in a tight formation, switching direction quickly. Our naturalist surmised that they were feeding, and he was proven correct when several California Sea Lions joined the group! 

Today was one of those priceless experiences that whale watchers are always hoping for.  The swells were tall, which made leaving the bay tricky. Fortunately, we knew there were Humpback Whales in the middle of the bay, so we headed out there. Once we got to the area where we knew whales had been sighted, the captain spotted splashing. We got closer and realized those splashes were a Humpback Whale slapping its pectoral fin on the water! The captain stopped the boat and we spent the next 45 minutes watching the show.  There were actually 3 whales in the area, and as we stood there in awe, they breached, pec slapped, and tail slapped over and over. They even came close to the boat to breach a few times! 

It was an unforgettable experience. Sadly we couldn’t stay forever, so we headed back for the dock. Rain clouds chased us back to shore, but the downpour held off until we were back at the Wharf. 

Wind was in the forecast for this morning, but we were pleasantly surprised to find the bay clear-not a whitecap in sight.  Before we had even left the harbor the sea was cloudy with hundreds of thousands of Moon Jellies. Monterey Bay is in the middle of a bloom year for the Moon Jellies and their orange-brown relatives, the Sea Nettles. 

As we cruised past Lover’s Point we encountered a group of about 50 Risso’s Dolphins. These grey dolphins are covered in scars from battling the squid they eat-and each other!

The captain got word that there were Humpback Whales near the middle of the bay, so we headed north. Along the way a couple of Gray Whales popped up so we stopped to take a closer look. Some Gray Whales cross the bay, but others stay closer to the coast so it’s not uncommon to see them near the shoreline. 

The Gray Whales were staying underwater for long periods and traveling unpredictably, so we left them to their southbound migration. 

Not too long after that, we discovered the Humpback Whales. There were 5 total, scattered several miles around the boat. We got some good looks at them and were able to tell that they were juveniles-definitely not full grown! 

Today was gorgeous!  The water was calm, the sun was shining, and we headed south to search for Gray Whales (Eschrichtius robustus). During both the morning and afternoon trips we saw whales just a couple miles out of the harbor, spent a few minutes with them, and continued on our way around Point Pinos. 

We had beautiful views of Pebble Beach, Carmel Bay, and Point Lobos in the background as we watched several groups of Gray Whales. Right now they are all southbound, heading to their breeding grounds in Baja California. In a few months they’ll start to make their way back up to their feeding grounds in the Arctic. By the time the early birds are ready to leave, the stragglers are just arriving, so we’ll watch them going both directions!

Tuesday September 19th, 

We started off with sunny weather and scattered humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). We quickly found a pod of Pacific White Sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) and watched them dart around the boat. 

Then we heard reports of killer whales! We tracked the pod to the middle of the bay. So far no identification on the group of 6 orcas. It appeared that they were hunting, traveling in zig zags over the deep water of the canyon. There were sea lions in the area, so the orcas were probably focused on them. We stayed with the orcas for a while, then discovered some lunge feeding humpbacks to watch. 

The lunging humpback whales were feeding on the anchovies that have been in the bay for several months now, providing a buffet for our favorite migratory birds and whales.

By the end of the trip, the wind was picking up, whipping the tops of the waves into foam. We headed back while the sun was still keeping us warm, continuing to count even more humpbacks while we traveled back to the harbor. 

This beautiful whale was seen first in December of 2004 in Banderas Bay, Puerto Vallarta. The next summer, we spotted it here in Monterey. Lexus has been seen here almost every year since then! In the US, this whale is cataloged by Cascadia Research Collective. In Mexico, Lexus was ID’d as part of the SPLASH Project (Structures of Population, Levels of Abundance and Status of Humpback Whales), and in collaboration with the nonprofit organization ECOBAC (Ecologia y Conservacion de Ballenas).

A local naturalist named it for its resemblance to another whale whose name is Nexus.

Flopsy, AKA Raggedy Ann, was first spotted in Monterey in 2002. Since then she’s been seen frequently here during the summer. This February, she was sighted in Jalisco, Mexico, before making the trek up here. 

She’s easily recognized by the ragged edge of her flukes!