Whale watching in Monterey

Victoria, British Columbia (Canada) in 2009 is where and when I saw my first cetacean in the wild, a mammal-eating transient killer whale. Since moving to San Diego, I’ve been able to observe many more species between Cabo San Lucas and Victoria, including around the Farallon and Channel Islands. One of my favorite things to do is park myself on a bench at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and watch the eastern North Pacific gray whales hugging our coastline for relative safety. They make trips between their feeding grounds in the Arctic and where they most often give birth in Baja, California (Mexico). Some do so along the way and I’ve been lucky to see a newborn calf in San Diego waters that still had its natal folds. They make these perilous semiannual journeys in the presence of large ships and pods of killer whales that prey on the young grays. It’s about 6,000 miles each way.

Being up in Monterey for a few days recently afforded me the opportunity to head out with Monterey Bay Whale Watch again.

Southern sea otter with a crown of sparkles

A humpback whale lunge feeding on a school of fish with shorebirds dining as well

The mighty back of a humpback whale

The darker bands above the coastline are smoke from the wildfire near Big Sur which we’d planned on revisiting for two nights till the 1 was shut down. It was started by an ember blown from a burn pile inexplicably going while there were strong winds in the area.

Humpback mating behavior

This Pacific white-sided dolphin inadvertently put on a spectacular show for us while hopefully living its best life.

Pacific white-sided dolphin headed up to bow ride

Northern right whale dolphins are finless (and adorable in my opinion).

That’s a northern right whale calf leading the charge.

California sea lions thermoregulating

All Risso’s dolphins appear to be smiling.

This is Casper, the aptly named and locally famous albino Risso’s.

Gray whales heading south

Gray whale mating behavior

Gray whale diving into the swell

Goodnight, Monterey Peninsula.

California sea lions in San Diego

Tourists and locals alike understandably flock to La Jolla to see the California sea lions and harbor seals, particularly when it's their pupping seasons. I need to have my increasingly mislaid "I can cope with the public" hat on in order to brave the crowds. It's typically the lure of getting in La Jolla Cove that does it. Both pinniped species are curious and will often approach me underwater on their own terms which never gets old. I couldn't effectually chase them in their oceanic realm if I wanted to and neither could Michael Phelps. We humans are comparatively out of our element in the water no matter how much we love being in it. On land, I keep my distance and photograph them with a 100-400mm telephoto lens. I've seen a lot of folks get way too close over the years putting both themselves and the wildlife at risk, but I've never been present when animals were being beaten or their newborns picked up. Those photos and stories fill me with rage, sadness and disbelief that anyone could do this. Bad actors in our parks and preserves are why we need to pony up cash to pay more rangers who can dish out actual consequences as needed. If that's not a good use of taxpayer dollars I don't know what is, not to mention the creation of hard yet surely rewarding jobs. I'm in favor of closing Point La Jolla during sea lion pupping season for the same reason the Children's Pool is closed for the harbor seals when they're giving birth and nursing. I want to believe most people who visit mean these animals well, but there are enough assholes out there that these animals need better protection. Please join me in signing the Sierra Club's San Diego Chapter's petition to Mayor Gloria and San Diego City Council by clicking or tapping HERE.

Please back up. A little more…a little more… Perfect!

(Hey, I never said I’m a nice person.)

Look closely and you’ll see one blending in with the rocks. They’re pretty inaccessible in this spot. The youngest pup is almost vertical.

I could easily spend all day watching them surf. Waves and weather that keep me and my snorkel dry are seemingly nothing to them.

The sea lions and harbor seals can swim so fast that sometimes I don’t see them until they’re in my face! I’d rather not have that encounter with one of the larger juvenile white sharks aggregating off of our coast, though I REALLY want to see one from a safe distance…as in having been out to the Farallon Islands three times levels of interest with no luck yet. And now I want to reread The Devil’s Teeth by Susan Casey.

Resting up for the hunt. They can appear lazy, but are very active at night in search of fishes. Yup, it’s “fishes” because we’re talking about a diverse diet that includes many species of fish as well as squid and octopus.

On second thought, why hunt when you can just train the fishing crowd to do it for you like this charismatic bull did?! Everyone involved was clearly having a great time, but this is one reason why NOAA doesn’t want us to feed them:

“Marine mammals change their natural behaviors, including feeding and migration activities, and show decreased willingness to forage for food on their own. They may also begin to take bait/catch from fishing gear. These changed behaviors may be passed on to their young and other members of their social groups, increasing their risk of injury from boats, entanglement in fishing gear, and intentional harm by people frustrated with the behavioral changes.”

Chilling on a bait dock at dusk.

This guy benefited from SeaWorld’s rescue, rehab and release program. They’re who I call when I find a distressed pinniped.

California sea lions thermoregulating off of San Diego.

Hanging out with a juvenile California brown pelican. La Jolla is a great spot to watch them, cormorants and gulls as well.

“Thanks for helping me out!”