We’re already catching the weekend vibes as we approach Friday with some great sightings under our belts! The Common Dolphin activity was high today and the humpbacks are back in town! On our first trip of the day, ~140 Common Dolphins were seen surrounding the boat in all directions and exuberantly leaping around the boat. The bow-riders were in full-force as we passed through each scattered sub-group. At one point, we found a mystery whale that only surfaced for 2 breaths before completely giving us the slip. We believe it was a Fin Whale. Throughout the entire trip, one half dozen California Sea Lions were seen swimming right beside the vessel to take a look up at us!
In the afternoon, we found a feeding frenzy that included Common Dolphins, California Sea Lions and one Humpback Whale! The wildlife seemed to disperse, then join together periodically as we observed the foraging behavior. The humpback showed no sign of being boat-shy, as it surfaced right next to us numerous times! Along the way back to Mission Bay, we zig-zagged through an additional few pods of Common Dolphins, bringing our total count to ~160 for the afternoon trip! We also noted a trio of northbound Gray Whales, that we only had time for one, quick look at. That’s all for now until we get back on the water tomorrow! Until then, whale watchers.
Trash/recyclables: 3 mylar balloons
April 18, 2019
