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.
June 7, 2023

June 7, 2023

Blue whales were sighted everywhere we went today! During the morning trip, we sighted a spout once we got to the drop-off. The Blue whale that we hung out with came up and had tall almost 30-ft spouts! We watched it come up for 4 to 5 breaths and go down for about...

June 4, 2023

June 4, 2023

We hung out with a TRIO of Blue whales! We also didn't have to go very far. We found them on the drop-off! They were slowly cruising to the south. We watched them come up for breaths, and go down for short 7-min sounding dives. We got a couple quick glimpses of their...

June 3, 2023

June 3, 2023

It was a great day to be on the water! We had nice sea conditions and good visibility which helped us find wildlife of all shapes and sizes! During the morning tour we set out toward the west and along the way we found 1 Blue whale that was likely feeding at the...

May 29, 2023

May 29, 2023

Today was another FIN-tastic day on the Privateer! We had great sea conditions all day. We encountered a couple of Mola molas feeding on By-the-wind-sailors aka Velella velellas. We also spent some time hanging out with one Fin whale during our morning trip. We got...