We had SUCH an epic day on the water today! After a quiet day yesterday, we left the jetties with nothing but a whole lot of determination and limitless hope—and IT ALL PAID OFF!
We got a rare glimpse of a cow-calf fin whale pair this afternoon! We’re out here almost every single day, and we might see a cow/calf pair of fins only a few times a year—if we’re lucky. Today, we got to spend quality time with this cow and calf as they surfaced for long periods right next to each other. Then baby went on a little adventure—we’d see it pop up far away, then come back and swim circles around gargantuan mama’s head. We also got a brief look at a very sneaky minke whale.
On our sunset trip, THE LUCK CONTINUED!!
We set out in hopes of finding the fin pair again, but instead we found a pair of southbound gray whales! We watched as they surfaced, perfectly paralleling each other. It was a bit strange to see southbounders at this time of year, but they appeared to be on a mission to their destination.
In a rush to hang with the fins, we left the grays. When we got to the spot, we found the young fin—but no sign of its massive mother. While we waited for this young whale to surface (for what felt like forever—champion free-diver baby!), we sighted a spunky pod of short-beaked common dolphins that set the whole boat alight with gasps and shrieks of delight.
On our way back to shore, we got one last look at the fin whale.
Oh, and to top it all off – these Santa Ana winds have been giving us some great green flash nights!
I don’t know about you, but I’m itching to get back out there and see what we can find tomorrow!
Naturalist, Alison
