Whales and killer sharks steal some of U.S. Open’s thunder in Monterey Bay
The whales of Monterey Bay are providing an irresistible backdrop to this week’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. On Monday, Monterey Bay Whale Watch reported the rare sight of two 40-foot-long humpback whales mating, surrounded by more than 50 Risso’s dolphins.
Tourists on the boat watched the show unfold for just more than an hour, said Colleen Talty, a marine biologist and naturalist for the trip. “In the first 45 minutes, they were going through courtship, rolling around on the surface, and dolphins were swimming all around them. The dolphins seemed to excite the whales,” she said.
“It was pretty clear they were mating,” Talty added. “It’s pretty rare for this area. Mating usually takes place in their breeding grounds off of Mexico.” After conception, incubation takes about 12 months before a humpback gives birth.
The spectacle topped encounters over the weekend that included a pod of four killer whales attacking a sea lion Saturday, then the same pod taking down a young elephant seal Sunday.
Eyes turn to Pebble Beach
While the eyes of many across America turn to Pebble Beach (always good for sea otters in Stillwater Cove), the whale-watching show is already a go in Monterey Bay.
It has been so good that Monterey Bay Whale Watch, the No. 1 whalewatching operation on the Pacific Coast, has scheduled a variety of trips that range from three hours to all day, and often runs from five to seven trips per day. It’s kind of like a bag of golf clubs, in which you have many different trips available for the type of shot you want to take.
To get an idea of this week’s sightings, Nancy Black, marine biologist with Monterey Whale Watch, has posted videos on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. Humpbacks, killer whales and dolphins are this week’s stars of the show.
Two weeks ago, a trip sighted and photographed roughly 25 rare Baird’s beaked whales, the largest group of Baird’s that Black said she has sighted in 30 years on the water, one of 10 sightings in her career. Like humpbacks, they are about 40 feet long. Unlike humpbacks, Baird’s beak whales have a globular head from which a long, snout-like beak then extends, hence the name.
Black posted a two-minute drone video of the beaked whales swimming on the sea surface, surging and powering ahead, which created something of a sensation among those who track rare events in nature.
Short trips, great sightings
The ease of whale-watching trips from Monterey, Moss Landing and Santa Cruz often with light winds, calm water and short distances has made it the No. 1 destination for whale watching on the Pacific Coast.
A key is the Monterey Submarine Canyon, where spring winds out of the northwest push water through the canyon, creating upwelling and setting off one of the richest marine food chains anywhere. That draws in sea life from across the ocean.
In the past two weeks, Black identified a pod of four orcas, or killer whales, that have arrived every June for 15 years to hunt marine mammals and salmon.
In addition to the trip that sighted the mating humpbacks, another trip that departed Monterey at 9 a.m. sighted four humpback whales, 250 Risso’s dolphins, 10 Pacific Whitesided dolphins and five harbor porpoise.
Over the weekend, Black was able to identify the killer whales named the “CA 51 Pod.” On Sunday, on top of the killer-whale attacks, they also saw humpback whales, dolphin and porpoise.
Humpbacks are often the prize spectacle. They are social animals and can swim right up to the boats and then put on a show. They are known for spectacular jumps with half-turn pirouettes and splashes that can spray water on thrilled onlookers aboard the whale-watching boats.
Humpbacks often work as a team, as they can swim in 100-foot-deep circles and release air bubbles to create an underwater fence to corral baitfish. Individuals then break off and take turns diving below the feed and the surging up and lunge feeding through the surface.
Starts with a spout
On one trip, Sunday, Black reported that 10 humpbacks were sighted lunge feeding, and on another, humpbacks were sighted spouting, fluking and feeding.
For whale watching, though Monterey Bay is far warmer than trips out of San Francisco, you are advised to wear long pants, athletic shoes, layers on top, and bring a windbreaker. Wear sunscreen, sunglasses (polarized lenses to cut sea glare work best) and a hat with lariat. Bring snacks, binoculars and camera. If you are vulnerable to spatial disorientation, take a seasick pill a half hour to one hour prior to boarding.
If you attend the U.S. Open, from the cliffs at Pebble Beach, be sure to scan across the near-shore sea. You might see the spout of a humpback — what looks like a “puff of smoke” from the surface — and with it, a spectacle that follows that steals the show.