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.
January 11, 2025

January 11, 2025

We had beautiful, calm seas all day long with plenty of Common dolphins sighted everywhere! We started the day cruising out to the west! Beyond a huge Navy ship, we could see thousands of birds diving in the water! Underneath was a massive pod of Long-beaked Common...

January 8, 2025

January 8, 2025

We had a fun day out on the Pacific Ocean! While boarding at the dock, a couple Coastal Bottlenose dolphins came to say hello! We continued to check out the bait receivers and usually our first marine mammals we see are California sea lions, but we sighted a few more...

January 5, 2025

January 5, 2025

We LOVE Common dolphins! We started our trip with sightings of ~5 Inshore bottlenose dolphins just outside of Quivira basin. We continued out and we caught up with two pods of Long-beaked Common dolphins 11-miles from Mission Bay! Out to the west, we spotted 3 huge...