A spectacular Fall afternoon on Mission Bay and in the near coastal environment in what is known as the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean. Here in Southern California, from San Diego to Hawaii to Costa Rica is mostly sub-tropical in terms of water temperature and biological activity. We experienced a bit of a bounce today on the M/V Privateer as we entered and exited the Mission Bay Channel entrance and into the mighty Pacific. We went 8-miles offshore to where the waters are deeper and there is more upwelling of nutrients that fuel the food web. We found three pods of dolphins, the first pod was a densely packed group of long-beached common dolphins. Our second pod was the more boisterous, high-leaping short-beaked common dolphins. It was as much hearing the cheering of our passengers as it was to see the dolphins playing with our vessel, surfing our wake and getting pushed forward by the pressure wave off of our bow, a “free ride” for these small cetaceans. The scenery was outstanding with the gorgeous weather. We have one more trip today, our sunset trip begins at 4:30 PM. Please tell your friends to get out on a boat and see the amazing wildlife. —Biologist Greg McCormack
