Vanessa James
Today marks only the third time in our company history that we’ve seen a SPERM WHALE — the world’s largest toothed whale! Around 12:45 we got a radio call from fishermen offshore saying they’d spotted one. Cue absolute chaos in the wheelhouse… maybe a little screaming… and off we went! On the way out we … Read more
If you look really closely at that first baby‑dolphin shot, you can actually see the reflection of everyone aboard Privateer shimmering across its tiny body. How wild is that? We headed out into the Pacific today and found the sea absolutely frothing with life. Short‑beaked common dolphins were stacked along the horizon so densely it … Read more
We were happy to get off the dock and into some cool sea breezes and out of the stifling heatwave currently visiting San Diego on our Tuesday morning trip. The seas are stilling been so accommodating with minimal swell as we made our way to the southwest towards the nine-mile bank. Out there we saw … Read more
Privateer was treated to the dolphin deluge yet again! Bait fish and squid productivity only 5-6 miles offshore has been escalating and common dolphins have been celebrating this ocean boon. We got a treat of about 500 dolphins this evening between two pods. Right at sunset, the clouds obscured any possibility of a green flash … Read more
I wish all trips were this beautiful. We made our way out of Quivera Basin to the mild Pacific Ocean. Where we had glassy seas and pleasant sea breezes and clear water visibility. Right on the drop-off, we had a pod of ~30 bottlenose dolphins. They were so fun! Breaching and bow-riding and launching out … Read more
I can’t get enough of the exceptionally calm seas we’ve had today as we made our way out for the afternoon trip. We first encountered a small pod of ~40 long-beaked common dolphins cruising by to ride our wake before we made our way out to deeper water. Right on the edge of the drop-off, … Read more
It is the best conditions of the week and gorgeous out there! Plus the oceans are filled with life today. Starting the trip early with a very boat-friendly pod of ~80 long-beaked common dolphins coming to check us out. Continuing northwest, we sighted a bunch of splashes from another pod of ~200 long-beaked common dolphins … Read more
How about a pod of Risso’s dolphins? The sunset trip this evening had UNBELIEVABLE conditions, flat seas and partly cloudy skies complete with a water color backdrop every direction you looked. We found a curious minke whale who scooted along possibly feeding in the waters off La Jolla. We also had a huge ocean sunfish … Read more
This morning brought us out to the drop‑off, where a frenzy of hungry long‑beaked common dolphins was tearing through the bait. After plenty of searching, we finally spotted a tiny Minke whale cruising at the surface. Its little curly‑Q dorsal fin was ridiculously cute, and it lingered topside long enough to give us several great … Read more
La Jolla Canyon has been the hotspot for incredible wildlife lately! We’ve had a fin whale or two hanging around for the past few days, and we were lucky enough to find one on both of our afternoon trips today. We shot up north and first came across some voracious pods of dolphins chasing active … Read more