THE ULTIMATE OCEAN SAFARI
Join Monterey Bay Whale Watch for the marine adventure of a lifetime
Located along the central California coast, Monterey Bay contains the largest and deepest submarine canyon along the west coast, and is the only one that bisects the coastline so close to the shore. Comparable in size and shape to the Grand Canyon, it extends more than 50 miles offshore, reaching depths near 12,000 feet. This means fascinating deep-water marine mammals and seabirds can be found relatively close to the coast and seen on day whale-watching trips.
This region is biologically rich due to its steep bathymetric features and coastal upwelling (the central California coast is one of only five major upwelling areas in the world). Monterey Bay’s continental shelf and submarine canyon support a variety of habitats with one of the highest diversities of marine mammals in the world, and 26 species of marine mammal have been observed here, including five species of seal and sealion, the southern sea otter, and 94 species of seabird.
Monterey Bay Whale Watch offers both half-day (3-5 hour) and all-day (8-12 hour) trips all year. As a bonus offer, reserve four all-day trips in a row and get the fifth trip free if you mention this advertisement feature when you make your reservation.
QUEST FOR KILLER WHALES
APRIL TO MAY – Search Monterey Bay for transient (mammal-hunting) killer whales that are frequently found this time of year as they prey on grey whales during their migration. Like with a safari in Africa, you never know when you will find these top predators on a hunt. These trips are led by Nancy Black, who has been studying the killer whales of California for 30 years. She has worked with the BBC filming killer whales hunting grays for Blue Planet I and other stories in Monterey Bay for Blue Planet II, Big Blue Live, National Geographic, PBS, Discovery Channel Documentaries, and others.
HUMPBACK AND BLUE WHALES
SPRING TO AUTUMN – Large concentrations of humpback whales, California sealions, dolphins and shearwaters gather at this time of year to feed on massive schools of anchovies. In some months, you can also find the largest animals to ever live on Earth, magnificent blue whales. Blues and the second-largest cetaceans in the world, fin whales, come here to feed on tons of tiny krill near the edge of Monterey’s submarine canyon. Occasionally, rare species of beaked whales can also be seen.