Melissa Bridges

Melissa Bridges

Melissa is a dedicated whale-watching naturalist with a passion for marine conservation, education, and the ocean. With a background in marine biology and environmental science, she loves sharing knowledge about marine mammals, their behaviors, and the importance of protecting our oceans. Whether spotting whales in the wild, leading educational tours, or advocating for marine stewardship, Melissa strives to inspire a deeper appreciation for these incredible marine mammals and their habitat. When she’s not guiding tours, you can find her surfing, embracing the ocean’s energy, and deepening her connection to the marine world.
August 27, 2024

August 27, 2024

What do you call a dolphin who doesn’t follow the rules? -A rebel without a porpoise! On today’s morning trip, we encountered ~5 Mola-molas throughout the trip! A Mola-mola is also known as the Ocean sunfish. They are one of the largest bony fish! Their maximum size...

August 21, 2024

August 21, 2024

A fintastic dolphin show was on the menu for our afternoon trip today! We headed out west and near the drop-off we encountered a massive pod of ~300 short-beaked common dolphins! They were leaping out of the water and having a blast! They love to jump up high and...

August 11, 2024

August 11, 2024

Sunday, August 11, 2024 We had a whale of a time on the Privateer this afternoon! Ocean conditions were perfect with sunny skies and warm weather! We headed out west past the drop-off and encountered several pods of common dolphins throughout the trip. Our first pod...

August 8, 2024

August 8, 2024

What is a dolphin’s favourite TV show? - Whale of fortune!On today’s morning trip, we were fortunate enough to find three different species of toothed whales within the order Cetacea! They are part of the Delphinidae family! We found offshore bottlenose dolphins and...

August 5,2024

August 5,2024

Monday, August 5, 2024 Shorty so fly, shorty is a ten, shorty likes to hang out in the Pacific Ocean!On today’s morning and afternoon trip, we found short-beaked common dolphins and offshore bottlenose dolphins! For our morning trip, we went straight out west. We were...

July 30, 2023

July 30, 2023

WHALE-come to the dolphin party! We saw so many different species of dolphins today! It is a lesser-known fact that dolphins are actually whales! Dolphins are part of the toothed whale category of whales under the order Cetacea. All toothed whales have one blowhole...

July 22, 2024

July 22, 2024

What do dolphins do at a party? -They have a whale of a time!We found three species of toothed whales today!On today’s morning trip, we found ~100 long-beaked common dolphins right outside of Mission Beach jetty! Then, around ~10 miles offshore we encountered a...