We had the best sea conditions and visibility! We set out to the west and caught up with an incredible pod of ~300 Short-beaked Common dolphins headed SW. They surrounded our boat and we got the best looks as they leaped and breached everywhere! We loved to see the teeny tiny calves! They popped up all around our boat! We could hear their squeaks and whistles when they swam toward us. We didn’t have to go very far and found another pod of dolphins. This time they were Long-beaked Common dolphins with about 200 individuals all traveling to the NW. We never see the two species of Common dolphins mix, and wondered if they would since they were en route to intersect. We heard from our other whale watch friends that stayed with them and reported they got within 500-ft of each other but passed each other by! We may find a couple of one species hanging out with the other, but never usually a full immersion! We searched the shallow coastal Gray whale highway for heart-shaped spouts, but no luck on our PM trip.
The afternoon trip started with brilliant visibility and flat seas – we could see for miles! We sighted an enormous line of white water off on the horizon and set towards it to see what it could be. With our engines revved high – the line never seamed to get any closer – we were racing against time and daylight toward what seemed like and endless line of dolphins. The longer we chased them – the more worried we were that they would be JUST outside of our range, that we’d have chased them for nothing, that we’d have to turn back to shore before we’d be able to enjoy their boisterous energy. At the VERY last minute – they slowed and changed course in our direction. We had a few minutes to spend with this 400 strong pod of long beaks but MAN! They must’ve known that the passengers were expecting something special – they played at the bow and danced in the last warm rays of light. The sunset was incredible too! The whispy cirrus clouds caught the rays of light like flames licking the sky. We even got a rainbow cloud thrown in. Sunset cruises in winter never disappoint.
Naturalist,
Vanessa & Alison
