HAPPY NEW YEAR!! We started the year off right with two awesome trips! We set out to the south and hung out with a big pod of ~200 Long-beaked Common dolphins. They were zooming straight for the Privateer! We got great look as we were completely surrounded. We cruised to the north and caught up with our gray whale friend off of La Jolla. It was milling about in the kelp forest. It even became a bit curious and checked us out! We went back to the south and found a small pod of ~15 Pacific white-sided dolphins! They were hanging out under some birds. There were observed feeding in the area. During our second trip, we went west and then north and was a bit quiet to start but then everything turned around as we relocated the La Jolla kelp forest Gray whale. It popped up right next to our boat as it slowly milled about. We thought we sighted a spout to the north, waited for it to resurface but never saw it again, so we dubbed it a mystery whale. We continued back home, but before we turned in a fast traveling pod of ~100 Long-beaked Common dolphins passed us by! We got great looks as they porpoised beside our boat and surfed in our wake!
Stay tuned for updates from our Dolphin & Whale Sunset cruise!
Naturalist,
Vanessa
