Fog continues to be a problem. But we did find a humpback and had some great looks. The animal was mainly doing deep dives so we had a lot of nice tail fluke views. We also heard reports of other humpbacks elsewhere in The Bay. So it looks like the humpbacks are staying in The Bay. We're looking forward to September and October when historically we get our best weather of the year.

08-27-2011: Humpbacks Surface Feasting, Abundant Krill Patches, Many Albatross and More Humpbacks Coming into The Bay

Check out some of the footage from today's trip (08-27-2011).

August has been painful for whale watching. We've definitely had a handful of great days with terrific orca sightings and "Stinky" the whale on a breaching frenzy. But "Stinky" was about the only whale in The Bay for most of August.

But all that seems to have changed. For the second day in a row we've had excellent sightings. Today we had at least ten humpbacks within a one mile radius of the area we were in about 13 miles west of Moss Landing Harbor.

We spent most of our time with with three animals, but I could see many blows outside of where we were. The few whales that we were spending most of our time with were giving us great views and staying up at the surface more than they were under. There was abundant krill at the surface, so we were observing some excellent surface feeding behavior (lunge feeding, pectoral fins etc.). We had the animals buzz the boat on several occasions (see video). Passengers were treated to up close and personal looks at these magnificent creatures.

08-26-2011: The Whales Are Back, Leather Back Turtles and Reports of more Orcas

What a hit or miss week we have had. Before this week I didn't know what it was like to not find whales. But sure enough, we had two days in a row where we got skunked. As did most of the boats in the whole Monterey Bay whale watching fleet.

But even on the days where we didn't see whales, we had excellent sightings of leatherback turtles and Mola Molas and had nice boat rides to boot.

But it looks like things are starting to turn around and there have been more and more whales reported in The Bay and Orcas continue to come and go as we've had reports from fisherman of orcas in The Bay.

Today we had excellent sightings of surface feeding humpbacks and blue whales with lots of anchovies and some decent krill patches spotted. The humpback we were watching came right up to the boat several times and was regularly showing us it's tail flukes. And old "Stinky" still seems to be hanging out in front of Santa Cruz.

Stay tuned for our next update. We'll see if the whale numbers start to increase.

08-22-2011: A Sly Humpback and Cruising Orcas

We had a brief glimpse of one humpback about 20 minutes into our trip. Then we lost him. I'm not sure how that happened, but this animal just didn't appear again after our first sighting. The whales are still few and far between.

But who needs whales when we have orcas. We were with orcas for over two hours today! At first we were with what appeared to be a pod of between four and five orcas. Then they split up and headed in different directions. So we stayed with the two (a female and her male offspring) that was heading toward Moss Landing. They ended up getting very close to Moss Landing before heading back out to the South West. They seemed to be just traveling toward Moss Landing. But we did have some great close up looks.

On Sunday we were with two blue whales on for almost two hours. Blue whales aren't the most exciting animals to watch. But these two were throwing up their tail flukes regularly. Not to mention they're the largest animals on earth. Even though we generally only see about 30% of their 80'+ long body, they were still very cool to see.

08-19-2011: "Stinky" Re-surfaces off Santa Cruz, puts on Remarkable Acrobatic Show

Check out a short clip of a "Stinky" The Humpback Whale Breaching (08-19-2011).

Today ended up being incredible. A once in a lifetime experience for most people. It just happens that way sometimes.

We thought we would start out looking outside The Bay for passing blue whales. No one's really been looking outside The Bay lately. We did get a couple of decent looks at two Minke Whales. But that wasn't going to cut it. We ended up about 18 miles due West of Moss Landing before we turned around and started making our way back inside. Basically about six miles outside the Monterey Bay. That burned up over two hours and things weren't looking good.

Then we heard a report of a humpback whale off of Santa Cruz so we set a course for that direction.

Once we got on the scene, we had some ok looks, but nothing special.

Then when we were about to leave, (after about an hour of watching) old "Stinky" just started breaching, spy hoping, tail slapping, and pectoral fin slapping all over the place. She breached at least 15 times. Including two breaches within twenty feet of the boat. The passengers and I got the photographs of a lifetime. I shoot out there every day and this is the first shot I have been able to get of a fully breaching whale. It was just incredible.

It was just one whale. The only whale found in the entire Monterey Bay (except the glimpses we had of two Minke whales when we were about 15 miles out). So we just never know what's going to happen out there. It's really that simple. But I will tell you, for those of us out there in front of Santa Cruz today observing this one single whale doing the behavior you see in the photograph above over and over again right in front of our boat, nothing else mattered. It was the experience of a lifetime. There is no predicting it, there is no figuring it out. There is only one thing that is certain about nature and observing marine wildlife, if you don't go out, you definitely will see nothing. You just need to do it or not. The more you do it, the better chance you have of seeing once in a lifetime experiences like we had today.

It's been tough going for whale watching on the Monterey Bay this week. There doesn't seem to be a lot of whales in The Bay during the last week. It's kind of been off and on. All the daily boats have been skunked at least once this week. For us it was on Monday.

Then on Wednesday we had O.K. looks at two different pods of humpbacks before the weather picked up and forced us to abandon the search. So it seemed like things were improving.

But the fog and wind has been playing havoc on finding whales. On Thursday we ended up at Cypress Point near the mouth of Carmel Bay. But we did get some decent looks at two humpbacks.

08-13-2011: "Stinky" the Humpback, More Spyhopping and Breaching Orcas Check out Some of today's video footage (08-13-2011). It's been tough out there lately. The conditions have been pretty good but it seems that there aren't a lot of whales in The Bay right now. We ran two trips today. For the morning trip we were one of the few (if not the only boat) to find whales on the entire Monterey Bay for the morning trip (they did eventually find whales off of Point Pinos). It was discouraging. We usually at least hear of a few sightings on the radio as we're heading out. Not today. So the entire Monterey Bay whale watching fleet was pretty much in search mode for most of the morning. The whale we had been watching over off of Marina beach for the last two weeks has moved on. All the whale boat captains have been calling this whale "Stinky" on account of the animal's foul breath that takes over the area when you're positioned downwind of it. After about two hours of searching, we finally found "Stinky" and a companion much farther north just off the beach at Seacliff Beach near the cement ship. We had some really nice looks as the two animals popped up next to the boat a couple of times. So now we had a plan for the afternoon trip. Afternoon Trip So we headed out to Seacliff Beach just after 3:00 P.M. The conditions were outstanding. There have only been a couple of days for the entire summer that we've been out with no wind, warm conditions and sunny skies. We finally got to "Stinky" about an hour after departing. We had some O.K. looks. Nothing to write home about. But then again, I'm spoiled. Most on board were as happy as can be to be able to view these magnificent animals and get some decent looks, including a nice pectoral fin slap and a few tail flukes. After about an hour of observing "Stinky" we decided to head out into deeper water and follow the edge of Monterey Bay Submarine Canyon back toward Moss Landing. We find that marine wildlife seems to hang out at the "ledges" of the canyon. A ledge is where the canyon drops off into really deep water. It can be 100-200 feet on one side of the boat and 2,000-3,000 feet on the other side of the boat. I use our sonar system and our electronic chart plotter to "see" where the edge of the edge of the canyon is. So here we were enjoying incredible weather conditions, just cruising along. It didn't even matter if we didn't see anything else at that point. It was just so beautiful and warm out there. We were all enjoying the ride. But we never stop looking. We had our naturalist Giancarlo on the top spotting. About 15 minutes after we made the turn to head into Moss Landing (about two-miles outside the harbor) I spotted another blow and announced it over the loud-speaker and headed in the general direction. Then the unmistakable dorsal fin of a male orca appeared. I love watching the orcas. There my favorite to observe. So after we realized what we had, the watching frenzy began. Everyone loves to see the orcas. They're quite the crowd pleasers. Especially when they're breaching, spyhopping (check out the photo passenger Jon McCormack shot today to see what spyhopping is), tail slapping and continually comming up to the boat. Just amazing. My favorite way to end a trip. This is the fourth trip in a week that we've seen this pod of orcas just outside the Moss Landing Harbor.

08-10-2011: More Humpbacks off of Marina Beach We tried to find the orcas we have been observing just outside the harbor this morning but didn't see them. We headed straight out for about three miles in hopes of coming across the orcas. But no such luck. So we ended up heading over to the beaches off of Marina because we had some reports of a handful of humpbacks feeding out there. We had some great looks of tail flukes and some close up views of two hump backs "porpoising". Porpoising is when they come up to the surface and float or move very slowly while they tank upon oxygen for a deep dive. We also had a remarkable lunge feed sighting. Probably the best I've seen. Lunge feeding is when a whale comes up from below with its mouth wide open and gulps a large mouthful of feed. This particular lunge feed behavior was incredible because two humpbacks did it at the exact same time and came out of the water with heads by about five feet. Just an amazing sight to behold. 08-09-2011: The Same Pod of Orcas Found in the Same Place just Outside of Moss Landing Harbor, New Humpbacks in the Bay We came across the same pod of orcas just as we were leaving the harbor. We were on them within 10-minutes of the trip. We had some great looks as they started to move out into The Bay. It looked like on of the animals gulped down a Common Murre. This morning the orcas appeared to be on the move heading in a South West. They had likely already done their hunting and feeding before we arrived on the scene. It seems like for the last couple of days they have been comming close to the Moss Landing Harbor to feed on harbor seals and sea lions as this is what we have been observing. Today makes it three days in a row at the exact same location. After spending an hour or so with the orcas Dorris and a passenger observed what appeared to be a humpabck breach a couple of miles out off our one-o'clock position. So we had a few more good looks at the orcas and went to investigate. Sure enough, we came a handful of humpbacks right out front. This was good news because we haven't been seeing humpbacks out in front of Moss Landing over the last week or so. We've either been seeing them over near Marina to the South or out off of Point Pinos. We had some nice looks at the humpbacks and spent the rest of the trip checking out a couple of different pods. 08-08-2011: The Same Large Humpback off of Marina Beach and Orcas off of Moss Landing Attack and Consume a Harbor Seal Check out Some of today's video footage (08-08-2011). This rarely happens. But today was nearly a carbon copy of yesterday's trip. We saw the same animals but different behavior: The large humpback we've been observing off of Marina had very long dive cycles (13-14 minute dives) and the orcas we saw off of Moss Landing attacked and consumed a harbor seal. We did more whale waiting than whale watching with this humpback whale. After about an hour of this, I couldn't take it any more so we went exploring to see if we could find other animals. We found a small pod of Risso's Dolphins and a handful of Mola Molas. Then we started focusing on the orcas that we saw yesterday. We looked in earnest. We almost gave up. But I still had hope because yesterday we found them just outside the harbor. I kept telling everyone, "keep a good eye out, this is where we saw them yesterday." Then sure enough, we spotted a large male dorsal fin almost in the exact same spot at about the exact same time. But this time we witnessed the animals attack and consume a sea lion and a harbor seal. It was quite something to see a small harbor seal helplessly in the middle of this group of about four orcas when a large male just came up from the bottom and chomped the animal in what appeared to be one bite. What we figured out later was that he didn't actually consume the sea lion in one gulp, he went in for the kill and brought the animal under. But it looked like he just took one big bite that was it. But moments later one of the females brought the carcass up across our bow as if to show us. As hard as this is to watch, it is nature doing what nature does. 08-07-2011: A Large Humpback and Breaching Orcas Check out Some of today's video footage (08-07-2011). The day started out pretty routine. Kind of overcast with a pesky short period swell making the going a bit bumpy. Not really a big deal. Just enough to make the boat rock a bit. We've been seeing a cooperative humpback out off the beaches of Marina. The animal has been there for the last week or so. So we've been heading over there seeing the occasional mola mola and a lot of colorful jelly fish. We hung out with this humpback for well over an hour getting some great looks and huge tail flukes. This is a very inquisitive humpback. The animal kept coming up in front of the boat going back and forth more than a few times. Then we decided to head out into deeper water to see if we could find some other animals. Sure enough, after some searching, a passenger spotted a nice pod of about 30+ Risso's Dolphins and we enjoyed the spectacle of these peculiar looking animals. They are usually on the move. So after about 20-minutes of observing them, they started to move out as the wind picked up and swells became steeper and made it uncomfortable to follow them. That's when we decided to make our way back to Moss Landing with the swell and wind behind making for a comfortable ride. As we got about one mile from the Moss Landing Harbor entrance, I notice the unmistakable dorsal fin of a male orca about 200 yards off our port side and immediately announced my sighting and headed over to where I spotted the dorsal. Nothing makes make me more excited than to be with orcas. These are among the most amusing animals we see out there. As we got a little closer the animals began to breach right next the boat! All of the orcas were randomly launching out of water. Check out the incredible photo to the right that Sanctuary passenger Jim Kirkland shot. The male orca even got into the antics. This was the coolest orca behavior I've seen. Usually it's just the calves or yearlings that jump out of the water like that. 08-1-2011: The Best Marine Conditions of the Year, Humpbacks, Blue Whales, Bow-riding Dall's Porpoise and Risso's Dolphins The marine conditions today were perfect. The ocean surface was as flat as it gets with no wind for the entire trip. I love whale watching in a Tee-shirt. We had excellent looks at a handful of humpbacks and a blue whale. We did have to power out a ways before we found them. It was almost two hours before we got into the zone. But once we were there, it was incredible. Glassy conditions, sunny sky and no swell made for very comfortable viewing conditions. It was hard to leave once we were with the whales. In fact, this was the longest trip we've done. We were out for almost six and half hours before we pulled back into dock. On the way in we came accross a playful pod of Dall's Porpoise who rode our bow and continually launched out of the water and buzzed the boat as passengers watched in amazement. Then a few minutes later we had some great views of a small pod of Risso's Dolphins. 07-13-2011: Abundant Surface Krill Means Frequent Whale Surface Time Lunge Feeding Check out Today's video footage (07-13-2011). The surface krill was abundant again today. This is what we really hope to find when we are out there looking for marine wildlife. When the krill are at the surface, that means the whales will be at the surface. So we get in more whale watching instead of whale waiting as our video today shows. It is truly a spectacle to behold when a humpback "lunge feeds" (see our video from today 07-13-2011). This is an event that occurs when large krill schools are at the surface of the water and a humpback or blue whale breaks the surface of the water with their open mouth as they gulp down a full mouthful of krill. 07-12-2011: Surface Feeding Humpbacks and the Occasional Drive by Blue Whale Check out Today's video footage (07-12-2011). The surface feeding frenzy continues here on the Monterey Bay as the krill blooms continue to show up at the surface. Word is out amongst the whale community that the Monterey Bay is the place to be for krill. And what whale wouldn't want that? We had frequent up close and personal looks today of how humpbacks feed (see our video from today - 07-12-2011). When the animals are surface feeding one gets a very clear view of exactly how they consume the massive amounts of krill that draw them to the Monterey Bay. They were surface feeding almost the entire time we were with them today. We also get great views of the structure and characteristics of their massive heads. 07-09-2011: It just Keeps Getting Better and Better. Does Anyone Know What a Full-Triple-Breach is? Before today I could only Imagine. Humpbacks and Blues continue to stream into The Bay as the Krill Continues to Bloom. Check out Today's video footage (07-09-2011). Wow! It just keeps going. Another amazing day of marine wildlife viewing on the Monterey Bay. It seems like more and more humpbacks and blue whales just keep coming into the Monterey Bay. There were whales in every direction today including humpbacks, blue whales and fin whales. We had many excellent sightings with blues and humpbacks coming up to the boat within 20 yards. The highlight of the day (probably the year, but that remains to be seen) was when we witnessed three humpbacks do a synchronous, full triple breach 50 yards in front of the boat. Breaches are amazing enough when just one humpback does it. It's one of those moments that happens so fast and it is so incredible that your mind doesn't really register what your eyes just saw. Every time I witness a full breach I find myself thinking, "did I just see that?" When a 45'+ animal launches completely out of the water in front of you it is just plain awe-inspiring. When three humpbacks do it in perfect timing within six feet of each other it has to be the most spectacular phenomenon one can witness in nature. I'm totally serious and I think everyone on the boat that witnessed this today would agree. 07-07-2011: Blue Whales and Humpback Whales Deep Feeding Together Today's video footage (07-07-2011). The ocean surface was incredible today. It was refreshing to have a nice calm ocean surface after days of heavy wind and steep, consistent swell. When it's like this, we can easily get anywhere in The Monterey Bay if we need to. When we have wind and swell it limits what direction and how far we can go. For the first 15-minutes marine wildlife activity seemed sparse. Sure, we saw our usual sea-otters, a handful pelagic birds and the occasional sea lion. But there were no reports from some of the early trip whale watching boats out of Monterey that had already been out for an hour or so. The reports we were getting was that it was like a desert out there. Then one of the boats reported a handful of humpbacks and a couple of Blue whales on the inside reef not far from the Monterey Harbor about 8 miles from our position. At first we kept heading out West from Moss Landing where we had been seeing a lot of whale activity in recent days. But because of the fog and limited sightings the day before in that area, we decided to head toward Monterey and known sightings. And it just got better and better from there as we were about to enounter some of the best sightings of blue whales we have had so far this year. Next thing we knew there were spouts popping up all around us as we came across a humpback and blue whale bonanza as you can see from the video footage we shot from today (07-07-2011). We estimate that there were between 10-15 humpbacks in the area and between 4-6 blue whales all deep feeding within a couple of miles of one another. Including one blue whale that repeatedly surfaced at a high rate of speed. Blue whales can reach burst speeds of over 20 miles per hour. When an 80 foot animal breaks the surface at 20+ miles per hour, it's quite a spectacle. At first we thought it was a humpback breaching because the white water splash was so large. But as we looked closer through our binoculars, we realized it was a fast moving blue whale. 07-06-2011: Foggy Conditions, Calm Seas and a Handful of Humpbacks The wind and swell today were very calm. That's the good news. But we had very thick fog and that made marine wildlife viewing a challenge. We were still able to get some nice looks at four humpbacks a few miles out of Moss Landing Harbor. But after about 45 minutes we lost them in the fog. So then we headed to the mouth of The Bay 10-miles out in hopes of less fog and more surface feeding. We did have some areas of clearing but for the most part, the fog didn't really let up until we were back near the harbor towards the end of the trip. We did get some decent looks at another humpback once we got out to the mouth, but this animal was shy and was spending more time diving than on the surface. We're looking forward to calmer conditions and less fog in the coming days. 07-05-2011: More Surface Feeding Humpbacks and Blue Whales Everyday is different out there on the Monterey Bay. At first things weren't looking good for today. It's hard check out the marine wildlife when you can't see past the bow because of foggy conditions. Seriously. It was so foggy this morning that we could barely see past the bow. Luckily, around 10:45 it cleared up to about one mile visibility and we came upon a couple of blue whales and a mother and calf humpback pair. This was only about four miles outside of Moss Landing Harbor. But these animals were deep feeding as we kept seeing tail fluke after tail fluke indicating deep dive behavior. We even had a nice look at a blue whale tail fluke (see today's video footage, 07-05-2011). They were also spending more time under water than on the surface. Which is never great behavior for observing whales. Then we got wind of a report of vigorous surface feeding by blues and humpbacks quite a bit further out at the mouth of The Bay. This was about eight miles further into The Bay. So we decided to go check it out. It turned out to be well worth the 45 minute run as you can see from today's video footage (07-05-2011). 07-04-2011: Blue Whales, a Fin Whale, a Chronic Breaching Humpback and a Massive Mola Mola The Monterey Bay continues to produce awe inspiring marine wildlife sightings. And only a few miles out of Moss Landing Harbor! The highlight of the day today was a chronically breaching juvenile humpback that breached at least 10 times that we could tell (see photo to right by passenger Emma Yates). Emma shot this photo when the animal breached about 20-yards off our bow. 07-03-2011: Blue Whales, Large Pods of Humpbacks, a massive Mola Mola, Aerobatic and Bow-riding Pacific White-sided Dolphins, a Pod of 300+ leaping Northern Right Whale-dolphins and a Newborn Risso's Dolphin What a difference a day makes. Today was one for the record books. The variety of marine species we encountered was just phenomenal. The sightings started out early with a 400-pound Mola Mola (See photo at right). These are one of the oddest creatures we see out here. They are also known as "Sunfish" because they pretty much just lethargically float at the surface and soak up the sun. They move very slowly, if at all. We used to see these animals a lot on the Monterey Bay. Now we only see them once in awhile. The one we saw today looks like it either was hit by a boat or was on the wrong end of a cruel sea lion. Then there were the Pacific White-sided Dolphins. What a show they put on. They looked liked they could have been trained at Seaworld and escaped. These wacky critters were continually launching out of the water doing flips and twists in what appeared to be a successful attempt to entertain us. It was really something to see. Then, later in the trip, we came across another pod of Pacific White-sided dolphins that bow-rided and buzzed the boat for at least 30-minutes. We had to go out about 10 miles before we got into whales. But once we were out there, there were more humpbacks deep feeding together than we have ever seen. We were observing groups of 6-10 humpbacks surfacing, porpoising and fluking together within a few feet of each other. There were probably 20-30 animals within about a one-mile area with the occasional blue whale or two steaming by heading to the west. The highlight of the trip for me was to see a massive blue whale throw up it's massive tail fluke just before a deep dive. Truly an amazing sight to behold. On the way in we came across a small pod of Risso's dolphins that included what had to be a newborn. This was the cutest thing we've seen out there. The little guy was only about two and a half feet long! 07-02-2011: Extreme Whale Watching in Extreme Conditions and an Abbreviated Trip Marine conditions were less than ideal today. Much less than ideal. Although we did have some good looks at a blue whale, a humpback and a handful of Risso's dolphins, the winds picked up early with steep, solid 5' swells making the going rough. And did I mention the fog? It wasn't a pretty picture. We thought we could at least get out into the zone before the conditions picked up and then ride the weather back as we checked out the whales. But as soon as we got a couple of miles out, it was clear that this was going to be a short trip and we knew that we were going to be issuing "whale checks" for everyone. But we knew where the whales were and we wanted to at least get a couple of sightings so we kept going. We could have stayed out, slammed everyone about and said "welcome to whale watching on the Monterey Bay" and that would have been the end of it. I know if I was a passenger I would not have been very happy about it. That is how we operate. We genuinely care that passengers enjoy their whale watching experience. We treat customers like we would like to be treated. We want to share with all of our passengers the amazing experience of being able to spend at least an hour or two observing these incredible animals in decent marine conditons. So we offered "whale checks" to everyone on the trip so that they could come out again for free another time when conditions are better and enjoy a true Monterey Bay Whale Watching experience. Usually "whale checks" are reserved for those rare trips when we don't see whales. But conditions deteriorated so fast today, that we decided to have everyone out again on a day with better marine conditions. There were a handful of other whale watching boats out there with us. But they didn't give "whale checks". They saw whales and that was that. Just one of the many things that sets us apart from other whale watching companies. 07-01-2011: More Close-up Views of Surface-Feeding Blue Whales and Humpback Whales The feeding frenzy continues. We were with at least four blue whales and three humpbacks today for almost three hours. We had light winds but steep, consistent, five foot swells until about 12:30. Then the winds kicked up pretty solid and it was over. Despite the rough conditions, we had amazing views of both blue whales and humpbacks surface feeding on large krill patches. We even had a rare sighting of a blue whale lunge feeding about 25 feet off our bow. Blues don't usually come very close to the boat. But today, they were coming within 25 yards of the boat regularly. It was truely spectacular. We also had a humpback cruise by us within about ten feet with it's mouth and baleen totally exposed (see photograph to right). 06-30-2011: Blue Whales, Humpback Whales, Dolphins, Albatross The feeding frenzy in Monterey Bay has officially begun. The last three days on the bay we have had many humpback whales lunge feeding right at the surface right next to our boat. It is a thrilling spectacle to see these huge animals open their mouths as they surface, showing off their baleen, the pink roofs of their mouths and their bulging throat pouches. At times the bright orange krill streams out the sides of their mouth. The blue whales are in on the action as well. They roll on their sides to feed and show off their big pectoral flippers and the side of their huge flukes. Sometimes the two species are feeding side by side, which really illustrates how very huge the blues are at eighty feet long. Dolphin sightings today included four species: bottlenose, northern right whale, Pacific white-sided and Risso's. The pelagic birds are also abundant with many black-footed albatross, sooty shearwaters and fulmars. 06-29-2011: Blue whales and Humpbacks Surface Feeding Together Today was probably the best day yet this year in terms of marine conditions and the quantity of whales we saw. The Krill blooms are in full swing. Within about 45 minutes out of Moss Landing Harbor we spotted our first spout and knew right away we were in the zone. As soon as we started to move in the direction of the first spout, we started seeing animals all around us surface feeding. We had just stumbled on at least six-ten blue whales and 10-15 humpbacks surface feeding within about a one-mile diameter of each other. We had to be careful just putting the boat into gear because the animals kept popping up all around the boat. We usually see solitary blue whales or maybe a pair and they generally exhibit limited surface time. Today was different. The blues were surface feeding and showing us their pectoral fins regularly and we even observed some blue whale lunge feeding. We also observed a blue whale feeding and surfacing together with two humpbacks. There were also bands of three and four humpbacks surfacing around the boat as they fed on the plentiful surface krill. It just keeps getting better and better. Check out the video footage we shot from today (06-29-2011). 06-25-2011: Blues, Humpbacks, Risso's, Northern Right Whale and Bottlenose Dolphins Pacific bottlenose dolphins appeared just outside the harbor to start the trip. Risso's dolphins cruised by the boat and northern right whale dolphins played at our bow. Incredible whale behavior - Impressive surface feeding by humpback whales. One whale repeatedly stuck its face above the water holding its bulging mouth open scooping up krill. It would hold this position for up to thirty seconds giving us an excellent view of its entire mouth, rostrum and throat. This was not a quick surface lunge, as we have observed before. It was a slow motion, almost stationary posture and appeared as if the whale was standing upright with its face above the water and a mouthful of krill, letting the excess seawater trickle out of the sides of its mouth. Seeing a whale exhibit this type of behavior so close to the boat is phenomenal and gives you a real sense of the whale's individuality. Later we had a humpback "wagging" its huge tail fluke and throwing up huge splashes over and over. It swam right below the surface showing its huge pectoral flippers reflecting a brilliant turquoise hue. And to cap the day's sightings we had another humpback swim within a few feet of our bow and then breach clear of the water only fifteen yards from the boat. Check out the video footage we shot from today (06-25-2011). 06-24-2011: More Orcas just outside Moss Landing and Blue Whales a few Miles Out It's been all about the orcas for the last few days. There's been a pod of orcas hunting and feeding just outside the Moss Landing Harbor over the last few days. We were with a pod today for more than two hours. Then we decided to head out a little further and found two Blue Whales feeding on Krill at the surface. Including a Sulphur Bottom Blue whale. Most blue whales have a turquoise blue tint to them. Sulphur bottom blue whales have a yellowish tint to them. It just keeps getting better and better. Check out the video footage we shot from today (06-24-2011). 06-23-2011: Orcas Feeding, Blue Whales and Humpbacks It just keeps getting better and better. About a mile outside of Moss Landing Harbor we witnessed a very active and playful pod of orcas. Including a calf that seemed fixated on tail-slapping a careless fulmar (a species of seabird). We have some incredible video footage we will be posting soon. We shot so much video footage it is taking some time to go through it all. This was quite a feeding display we witnessed today. There were maybe four or five orcas feeding on what appeared to be either an elephant seal or a sea lion. The feeding frenzy just kept going on. After about 45 minutes of this amazing display we decided to move on and explore The Bay for some other sealife. Within about 20-minutes we came across a blue whale that was surface feeding on a Krill patch and had some great looks at this animal as well. We were on a roll. So we headed out into some deeper water in hopes of finding a humpback or two. And sure enough, within about 45 minutes we came upon two humpbacks and had some excellent looks at these two as they passed within twenty-yards of the boat. The Monterey Bay is teaming with life right now. Over the last week we have had incredible close up looks at fin whales, blue whales, humpbacks, orcas, a leatherback turtle, a mola mola, huge Krill patches at the surface and a whole lot more. If you're thinking about getting out on The Bay to witness some of these phenomenal natural wonders, now is definitely the time! FIGHT FOR THE WHALES! Iceland continues to kill minke whales and endangered fin whales. Please take a minute and encourage our government to make Iceland pay a price for illegal whaling. Click here to send a message urging U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to impose trade sanctions on Iceland for its escalating slaughter of fin and minke whales. DON'T MISS OUR NEWSLETTER FARTHER DOWN THIS PAGE. THE NO SARDINE CAN PROMISE: We're the only company that limits passengers on our whale cruises to 75% of our boat's Coast Guard-rated maximum. Last summer, Sanctuary went out with fully booked trips, but holding back this space resulted in more room for your comfort. Not selling tickets for this space costs us up to $1350.00 a day. When we say we stand behind our convictions, we mean it & we pay for it. On our cruises, you'll see the bay's creatures and learn how they're all connected to the web of life in this watery world. Our co-owner, Dorris Welch, is a marine biologist with decades of Monterey Bay experience. She has a wonderful way of bringing you into this enchanting world. We are the only company that allows pregnant women and infants. We go to great lengths to accommodate people in wheelchairs, and we take extra care to make sure everyone has a great cruise. 2/15/2011:"Hello Dorris and Mike! I cannot say enough good stuff about the exciting day I experienced with Sanctuary Cruises in Monterey Bay on 11 February 2011. It was amazing to be close enough to the grays to hear them exhale, and the three types of dolphins we saw – two species of which loved to surf and jump just in front of Sanctuary as we clipped along – were truly an amazing sight to behold. Mike, your [operation of the boat] was second to none, as you made certain to get us into waters where whales and dolphins had been sighted, even though it meant extending the length of the trip and the distance floated to do so. Dorris, your knowledge base regarding marine biology was a fantastic addition to the cruise. As a scientist myself, I really appreciated the information on the local marine life that you so willingly shared. I have already recommended Sanctuary Cruises to several friends in CA, and plan to take more cruises with you myself in the near future! Thanks again for a fantastic show. I wish you all the best in the new venture as proud owners of Sanctuary Cruises! Cheerz, Gerry" By Steph & Heidi: The gray whales have began their northbound migration and are coming through in good numbers. The new team of Mike and Dorris is doing well and making great friends. Sanctuary has never looked better, and she is now running a biodiesel blend in her clean, new engines. We couldn't be happier for Mike, Dorris, Sanctuary and our customers. More Ways Sanctuary Cruises is different: Only company on the bay owned by a woman with degrees in marine biology and education (and decades of experience opening the world of the sea for visitors). We respect our passengers and make sure they're cohorts in adventure. Our founders have a long history protecting whales. Steph & Heidi's whale protection work was described in the movie "Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist," which debuted at the Blue Ocean Film Festivall in 2010. We rent Relief Bands, wonderful electronic devices to prevent seasickness. We have always run non-smoking cruises (there is no escaping smoke on a boat). Kids get to take a turn at the wheel (conditions permitting). Sanctuary is sparkling clean, comfortable & she smells great. National Geographic featured us in a documentary which recreated our Mother's Day 2004 whale watching cruise ("Whale Attack"; see intro here). If you haven't already been out with us in our 12 years working on Monterey Bay, you're about to learn why people love us. Click on our customer comments on Talk to Us or the Yelp Reviews logo below to see why. READ CHAPTER 10 OF DICK RUSSELL'S EYE of the WHALE TO GET YOURSELF IN THE MOOD FOR GRAY WHALES, THOSE BARNACLE-ENCRUSTED GIANTS WE LOVE SO MUCH AND HAVE FOUGHT SO HARD FOR. Read our Captain's Log Update at the bottom of this page.  EMAIL US if you'd like to receive it (we never sell our mailing list). YOU CAN MAKE SECURE RESERVATIONS ONLINE BY CLICKING HERE Got questions? We have answers.  EMAIL US! Better yet, call us: 831.917.1042 Easy Conservation Tip: Got a Keurig coffee brewing system? Reuse your K-Cups! Keurig has sold almost 6 billion K-cups the last few years, and about 3 billion in 2009 alone. If you put all of these K-Cups end to end you would have a string of them 166,000 miles long. That's over 6 times around the earth. Keurig machines usually come with lots of K-Cups. Click on this link to learn how you can use K-Cups over and over with your own coffee for mere pennies, and do something nice for this planet we call home. Also, consider purchasing a reusable metal filter. These are included when you buy your Keurig machine from Costco. 1/3/2011: A New Year and a New Beginning The Changing of the Guard by Heidi We live in Northern California on the Trinity River where there are real winters. It doesn’t snow all of the time, but we have had several snowfalls between Christmas and now. Drift boats launching this morning across the river from our cabin arrived to find clear water, occluded skies and branches laden with snow. When the dogs went out, their paws crunched ice in the puddles. Snug in thermals and wool socks, I’m writing with soft music playing in the background. It's the perfect way to take stock and tell you what comes next. We bought this cabin in 2004. By 2006, we moved up here more or less full time and managed Sanctuary Cruises and our crew longdistance, commuting down to run some trips and tend Sanctuary. We were thinking of passing the baton, but hadn’t gotten to the point of listing Sanctuary Cruises when we were approached by a prospective buyer. He had ridden with us a few times and liked the boat and company. Would we sell to him? We figured the buyer, being a Monterey native, claiming to be a conservationist who cared about marine life, having a nautical background and an adventurous spirit, was well-suited to the business. But all of life is a crap shoot. You weigh the chances of success and throw the dice. So we shook them in our hands, blew on them for good luck and tossed them out. They skittered across the green felt, hit the curb, flew into the air and careened into an abyss from which they were never seen again. Steph and I both have tried to see where it went wrong; how we might have known someone would put a large amount of money down on a company and then leave it to founder. Aside from the emotional pain of getting Sanctuary Cruises back, along with our sweet boat that had been largely ignored after the sale, was the reality we now lived over 6 hours north of the bay. We were just starting Trinity River Adventure Inn when we sold Sanctuary Cruises in 2007. TRAI was a thriving business with six guest cabins by 2009. How could we spread ourselves thin enough to handle both? I can’t tell you how many times Steph and I debated what to do, but I forced our hand. It wasn’t fair, because much more of the work fell on Steph to not only bring Sanctuary back to what she’d been before the sale, but way beyond. It all came down to two things: finances and legacy. We had a great whale watching company that was valuable. If we sold the boat in her diminished state and folded the company, we’d take a major financial hit. But one could argue sanity is worth far more than dollars. Weighing as heavily was the fact we started our company after losing our gray whale project, "In the Path of Giants," because we fought to protect the whales from Makah whalers at Neah Bay, Washington. A very special number of you got to know us back then when you found our Giants web site after a long search on the internet for more information on the whale hunt up north. You bought our whale's tail necklaces and embroidered hats, and it was on the profits of trinkets that we managed to stay 75 days, fighting for the whales. First to arrive, last to leave, no whales were killed on our watch. Branded as terrorists (as "Confessions of an Eco Warrior," the 2010 release of a documentary about our time at Neah Bay, makes clear) and treated like criminals, we lost the $1.2 million National Science Foundation grant that would have allowed us to follow the grays on their migration. This project would have allowed us to take our work on the ocean into classrooms across the country as it was used to teach GIS (geographic information systems) to the teachers who would soon be teaching GIS to others. Far more important to us was that kids in classrooms would be brought into the project through the internet. Sparking a young mind, causing that kid to consider the ramifications of a species being hunted to near-extinction twice before it was finally given flimsy protection, and making that kid want to find ways to help create a world where nature doesn't always have to suffer at the hands of humans was our optimistic goal. When our NSF grant was cut, we started whale watching, introducing people of all ages to the wonders of whales. A good whale watching company can give whales and their needs a voice, and that is Sanctuary Cruises' legacy; we've made solid connections. Many of you became friends before we lost funding for Giants. Many more of you came on board with Sanctuary Cruises and we have shared some extraordinary experiences out in that blue gray world beyond the sand. You understand whales and dolphins aren't cute animals that do tricks for you in a theme park. They are wild and free and the only interaction with us is our easing into the area to see what they're up to, and sometimes their curiosity brings them over to see what we're up to. One of our obsessions is optimism and we sure have paid a hefty price for it, but the price of letting it go is too much to contemplate. But Steph turned 60 last August. I'm in the home stretch for it. We need to not be spread all over the map, taking care of everything but ourselves. So with all of this in mind, when Steph said we have done our part, but it's too much to start Sanctuary Cruises up again, I should have agreed. But I couldn't. We put the pieces back together. 1967 had the Summer of Love. 2010 had the Summer of Phenomenal Numbers of Whales on Monterey Bay. We went from an average summer of 5-6 whale watching cruises a week, to a maximum of 21. It was a very, very good summer for us, but there wasn't time to breathe, much less contemplate the future. By fall, we were finally ready to sell. I contacted the maritime broker who sold our catamaran for us a few years ago and started the process of getting paperwork together to list Sanctuary Cruises complete with Sanctuary. This time, if we didn't sell to someone we knew, had worked with, and who knew a lot about our company, boat, whales and the Monterey Bay already, we'd leave it to a pro to weed out the flotsam that flocks to your door with an entity such as ours. But that is when a cosmic event happened; it was one of those miracles that feeds optimism, even at the bottom of the tank. It began with Steph running a fall trip with our marine biologist Dorris. Steph asked how her guy, Mike, was doing. We didn't know Mike yet, but were aware he was working for a groundbreaking green company in a job that required objectivity, keen analysis, creativity and hard work. It was a start-up with great promise, but Dorris told Steph funding had diminished and most of the work force was laid off, including Mike. She wasn't sure what was next. We knew Mike and Dorris lived on their sailboat, and that both shared a passion for the water and marine life. What we were about to discover was they hoped to do something along the lines of what we had done on the Monterey Bay, something that allowed them, as it had us, the opportunity to combine knowledge, passions and talents. That's where we all took a hard look at each other. Steph and I were looking for the same traits that led us to the bay and forming our company. Did Mike and Dorris have what it takes to run Sanctuary Cruises and thrive? Dorris already knew our company, having worked for us the past year. She was way over-qualified for the naturalist position, but she is a born teacher and loves imparting her knowledge. Steph says half of my blood is salt water, and the same is true of Dorris; she needs to be on the ocean. While Steph and I have learned about marine life by being out there and observing it for over a decade aboard Sanctuary, as well as a good deal of independent study and communication with others who work with marine mammals around the world, Dorris is a heavy hitter in the sciences. Among her solid achievements are a degree in wildlife biology from Humboldt State University, followed by a graduate degree in marine biology and a teaching credential from UC Santa Cruz. This adds up to an immense amount of work in itself, but Dorris raised three wonderful daughters--mostly as a single parent--at the same time. Since Dorris arrived in Santa Cruz at 11 years old, she has lived by, played in and studied the Monterey Bay. She learned to sail on it as a young girl. From investigating tide pools, she eventually migrated to scuba diving. She's led marine transect surveys for UC Santa Cruz/Long Marine Lab, and taught marine science at Long and Santa Cruz high school. Like me, she was an advisor on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary's Advisory Council, but she served a whopping 9 years in that role. Of great interest to us in considering Dorris as a partner running Sanctuary Cruises was the fact that while she has a solid background in marine science, and her specialty is the Monterey Bay, we had to teach her some things that come only from being out there day after day, month after month, for years, as we were. One day last summer when she and I worked together, as we ghosted along with a male orca, Dorris told our passengers this was an especially fortuitous sighting because killer whales are such infrequent visitors to the bay. That was once true, but as I told her, we've seen them more and more over recent years. She has a solid sense of self, and wasn't threatened by this new information, but welcomed it. Without missing a beat, Dorris keyed the mike and corrected her information. That is the sign of a true pro: someone who continues to learn and is open to new information. Her team spirit was challenged more than it should have been due to lapses in communication between some crew with divergent views and selfish aspirations. What could have been easily rectified were we working together daily went unseen by us. When we learned of it, we were horrified; that's not how we work. But she stuck it out, and we eventually got to know her for who she is. And she is one hell of a singer and fiddler. Wow. So that was half of the team; what about Mike? We knew he loves the ocean, loves to sail, and that he and Dorris live aboard their beautiful ketch. He's obviously an environmentally aware guy, considering his recent work for the innovative start-up, but we already knew one big thing about Mike that trumped everything else. He was involved in a bio-fuels company that we hoped to buy biodiesel from years ago. We were the only charter company using biodiesel (it’s laughable to consider any of our competitors might pay more for fuel that’s better for the environment), and the permits needed caused a fatal roadblock. But it was proof of a convergence of like-minded people. Contrast this to one prospect who considered purchasing Sanctuary Cruises. He sent us a photo of him holding a mechanized trash grabber which he used for a beach clean-up he and his girlfriend attended as a social event; this, as evidence of his deeply held convictions on the environment. Mike is supremely literate, intelligent and driven. He takes chances, works very hard and, as with Dorris, has a secure view of himself. Based on all of this, we invited them up here to talk, go through the books and see if we might be a match. The next few days drove home how much of a fit Mike can be. He is a surfer of renown, whose blood surges at the weather report that sends him scrambling for his board. He is also a diver. He's spent the last 35 years boating, fishing, sailing, surfing and diving off the coast from San Francisco to Costa Rica. For the last 25 years, Mike has studied the Monterey Bay's whims, tempests and subtle shadings. Much as we learned about the bay, Mike has absorbed it organically. In the past, many of the applicants for a captain's position with us had inland waters experience, but not open ocean. They knew nothing of bar conditions, the area between open water and inland water, which have to be studied and experienced to fully understand; this and weather are the basis of deciding whether a trip is a go or not. How does one teach this to even an avid learner long distance? When we advertised in the fall for another captain, several applicants voiced interest in a possible purchase. But our initial enthusiasm for a few was dampened along the way as it became clear they lacked the experience that told us they knew what they were getting into, and could handle it. Mike is the exception. He has the other gene in common with Dorris, Steph and me; he loves sharing knowledge and excitement. Thinking back to the first buyer of Sanctuary Cruises, one more key ingredient to Mike and Dorris’ assets for success became apparent after dinner in Weaverville. We stopped by a dance to wish a friend happy birthday. Mike and Dorris locked hands and headed for the dance floor. They love music, and are social people. They are comfortable in their own skins. We think we have met our match as a dynamic team on the Monterey Bay, so we crafted an agreement to sell and with the new year, the reins have been handed over. I have this vision of us as the benevolent godparents of Sanctuary Cruises. Yes, it was our baby, but now we can spoil it and them as godparents. We want to help Sanctuary Cruises continue to flourish, and for Mike and Dorris to thrive in what is the trickiest of all things to find, the match made in heaven. Steph asked me to add that he is both tickled for them, and proud of them. I echo those thoughts. Everything they have done has brought them to this point, where they have a promising future. What a great way to start the new year. Mike and Dorris have yet another cool change for Sanctuary Cruises, but it will be a while before they announce it. We can't wait for this one! As for us, a major goal to live in the moment--and one geographical location--has a serious possibility of becoming reality, although tomorrow will provide a challenge. An anthropologist is coming to interview us about the Makah whale hunt. After he leaves here, he heads to Neah Bay for eight months. It means so much to make sure he understands why old traditions that have outlived their need to exist can’t be revived for the sake of ceremony. To spill blood again is to go backwards. There are better ways to honor your heritage. So just as we're selling the business founded because of our efforts at Neah Bay, we're being pulled back briefly into that dismal time. But that's how it is with endings. No clear breaks or clean edges. And endings are also beginnings. Life flows like the tide. It swirls, constricts, thunders, pauses and it is never the same as it was, or will be. Keep in touch, and remember to support the little company that has always done things right. Go see the gray whales that are streaming through the Monterey Bay now and please pass on a greeting from us, wishing them well. See you out there, up here, or somewhere along the way, heidi & Steph/Aspiring Ski Bums You can reach Mike, Dorris and Sanctuary Cruises at 831.917.1042 You can email Mike and Dorris with this link. Steph and I can be reached at 530.778.3444 or email us: Steph & Heidi's email Fight for the Whales: Please let President Obama know you support the continued ban on commercial whaling by going to the Natural Resouces Defense Council's web site and signing this petition. It just takes a minute and if you don't speak out for the whales, who will? Thanks! Responsible whale watching is very important to us. Read this article written by Heidi for the Monterey Herald See Whales and Dolphins by Season & How We Work to learn about your favorites and how we operate around marine mammals. Here's a clue: It's their world and we're the visitors.  "Just a quick note to thank you for the time of my life on the cruise and to give you a link to my photos of the wonderful encounter we all had that day. Feel free to publish these and any others I post as I still have more to add. Best regards Martin and Debbie/UK" Shutterfly link for Martin & Debbie Crowly PHOTOS FROM OUR BOAT : BLUE WHALE/LARGEST CREATURE EVER; FRIENDLY HUMPBACK SHOWS OFF FOR PASSENGERS; ORCA CRUISING BY OUR BOAT. Read the incredible comments from our customers on Talk To Us to learn more about what sets us apart. CRUISE THESE LINKS FOR VIDEOS FROM OUR BOAT Click here to watch orcas at our boat Click here for links to videos from our cruises CRUISE THESE LINKS FOR MORE INFO & COOL STORIES HOME ~ WHALE WATCHING ~ RESERVATIONS ~ DIRECTIONS/CRUISE INFO ~ SPECIAL CHARTERS ~ BURIALS AT SEA ~ SCHOOL CRUISES CAPTAINS & CREW ~ OUR BOAT SANCTUARY ~ TALK TO US (REVIEWS) ~ CAPTAIN'S LOG ~ CONSERVATION ~ WHALES & DOLPHINS BY SEASON PHOTO GALLERIES HUMPBACK WHALES ~ BLUE WHALES ~ GRAY WHALES ~ ORCAS/KILLER WHALES ~ MORE WHALES OTHER CREATURES ~ VIDEOS Got questions? EMAIL US! Or call 831.917.1042 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~