The marine layer known as June Gloom continued into July, but did not deter our intrepid whale watchers seeking to voyage toward the distant horizon in search of leviathans. Our wildlife highlights included our feathered and flippered friends located just a short distance from our slip at the dock. California sea lions resting on the mooring ball and the end of the floating bait dock used by fisherman for live bait kept in underwater pens. Hundreds of gulls, pelicans, wading birds, cormorants and gulls lounged nearby looking for the opportunity to obtain a free meal through the deck cracks.
The M/V Privateer voyaged to the southwest out to the 9-Mile Bank, a deep water feature highlighted by the Coronado Escarpment in about 1,700’ of water. This is where we saw thousands of terns and shearwaters. The latter have migrations that involve flying from where they are born in the southern hemisphere to feeding grounds in the northern hemisphere, from Chile and New Zealand and the Southern Ocean. We were lucky in witnessing the grace and beauty of a couple pods of Common Dolphins porpoising and feeding on the forage fish, mainly sardines and anchovies.
On our afternoon trip, we motored north past LaJolla to the coastal seaside town of Del Mar. Of course, we were at least 5-miles offshore and about 12-miles from our destination in Mission Bay. We found three pods of Common Dolphins porpoising, the largest pod was our last pod. They exhibited cool behavior, including foraging, courtship and play. When not chasing and eating fish, the dolphins looked at us and enjoyed getting a little surf sesh in, riding our wake and the pressure wave produced by our vessel moving forward. Our scenery was downright outstanding and brilliant. We could see the Del Mar County Fair, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and the eroded ‘Badland’ topography. Pargliders jumping off the cliff at the Gliderport, golfers on the North and South Torrey Pines Golf Courses; Salk Institute; UCSD and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. We did not get any large whales today, nor did the other whale watch companies, but we hope you give it another chance to witness the beauty of offshore San Diego on a future whale watch. —Naturalist Greg McCormack
