Vanessa James

Vanessa James

Born in New Mexico, a landlocked state, Vanessa's passion for marine life was ignited during family vacations to San Diego. Inspired by the rich marine ecosystem, Vanessa pursued their love for the ocean, volunteering at a local aquarium and later working at a veterinarian's office during high school. Their journey into marine biology took flight when they transferred to San Diego State University, where they earned a bachelor's degree in Marine Biology. Toward the end of her academic career, Vanessa volunteered with the Museum Whalers at the San Diego Natural History Museum and served as a board member for the American Cetacean Society-San Diego chapter. She also interned at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, interning with a marine mammologist digitizing journal publications to expand the access to older scientific journal publications. In addition to her academic contributions, Vanessa collaborated with a consulting firm conducting aerial surveys for marine mammals along the Southern California Bight and in Seattle, WA. Her dedication led to a role as a Marine Mammal Observer, where she assisted with seismic oil exploration activities in Cook Inlet, Alaska, and continued their work in San Diego monitoring marine mammal populations. For nearly a decade, Vanessa has been apart of San Diego Whale Watch, working in various capacities as a Naturalist, Ticket Booth Representative, and Deckhand. Today, she is training to become a Captain, solidifying her longstanding commitment to marine education, conservation, and stewardship. With a diverse background in fieldwork, research, and public engagement, Vanessa remains dedicated to understanding and protecting marine mammals while fostering a deep appreciation for marine life in others.
February 23, 2024

February 23, 2024

We encountered FOUR species of toothed whales and one species of baleen whale today! During our morning tour we sighted an awesome feeding frenzy with birds diving in the water! We observed about ~800 Long-beaked Common dolphins feeding all around us! We observed...

February 15, 2024

February 15, 2024

A little breezy, but otherwise a great day on the water this afternoon! We encountered a pair of southbound gray whales that gave us great looks, lifting their flukes on every dive, a Mola mola and a pretty big pod of boat friendly Pacific white-sided dolphins. -Ryan

February 12, 2024

February 12, 2024

Right as we left the jetties today we located a southbound gray whale that while having sporadic dive times gave us some good looks. We then headed southwest and found a huge spread out pod of short-beaked common dolphins that were loving our boat! They came right...

January 29, 2024

January 29, 2024

We had beautiful conditions once again for our one afternoon trip today, and lots of wildlife to see! We encountered a trio of southbound gray whales who never stayed down very long and once we left them we found a pod of around 200 short-beaked common dolphins!...

January 28, 2024

January 28, 2024

Well, today was pretty incredible to say the least. This morning we got word that orcas were up near La Jolla and beelined it up there. What we saw was a once in a lifetime experience! We had a pod of around 12 eastern tropical pacific killer whales hunting a...