Still Time To See The Gray Whales
Sperm whale at a distance Credit: Harbor Breeze Cruises
James S.
Thursday, April 26, 2018
There’s still time so see some gray whales, we’ve recorded 15 sightings in the last couple of weeks along with lots of fin whales, bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins, Pacific white-sided, and even a sperm whale! Gray whale season starts to slow down in the end of April and early May. If you’re a whale aficionado you can continue to follow them northbound along our coastline. Monterrey Bay has been seeing a lot of activity, especially with orcas hunting gray whales. Watching animals be preyed upon pulls at our hearts, it’s a very natural process much in the same way wolves hunt the weak and young elk and deer.
The last time we saw a sperm whale on the whale watches was December of 2016, and it was a nursing pod. The sighting from April 21st was a single adult or young adult. When male sperm whales are younger, what we might liken to teenage years, they will often hang out in bachelor pods feeding in the middle latitudes like the adult females and nursing pods do. When the males mature and are full adults they tend to move to the higher latitudes near the polar circles to feed.
Our spring intern season is just about done, a big thank you to Jamie, Jordan, Tammy, and Tara for their efforts taking all the amazing pictures and data we can send to Cascadia Research Collective. Our new set of interns will be starting in May and June and I’ll be introducing them in a later blog.
If you want to come out on the whale watch with us, book your combo ticket now for the Aquarium of the Pacific and Harbor Breeze Cruises. We will also have our special summer harbor cruise, the Urban Ocean Tour again this year. These will be once per month for the summer where the Aquarium narrates about the complex relationship we have with the ocean in a busy port city. Follow the link if you want to learn more about our Urban Ocean Festival and the tours!
See you on the water!
Pacific white-sided dolphin just below the surface Credit: Josh Meza-Fidalgo, Harbor Breeze Cruises
Pacific white-sided dolphin dorsal fin Credit: Tim Hammond, Harbor Breeze Cruises
Harbor seal pup nursing on the breakwall Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale rostrum and face Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale blow up close Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale rostrum with unique scars or marks Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale feeding in the harbor, muddy water washing back from its mouth Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Common dolphin cow/calf pair jumping in the water Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale fluke with apparent orca scars on the fluke Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale dorsal ridge Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Sailboat exiting through Angel's Gate in the Harbor with the LA lighthouse Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Bottlenose dolphins at the surface Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Fin whale dorsal fin, left side Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Fin whale dorsal fin, right side Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Fin whale dorsal fin, right side Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Fin whale blow and dorsal, right side Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale face, even the eye is visible Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Coastal bottlenose dolphins near the breakwall Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Gray whale rainbow blow with the breakwall in the background Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific
Fin whale dorsal fin, right side Credit: Aquarium of the Pacific