A Whale's World

The past several weeks have reminded us here at SFBayWhaleWatching why we get up at dawn, face the chill and the damp, and drink coffee from paper cups as the boat navigates the churning "potato patch" roughs just outside the Golden Gate Bridge, near the Point Bonita Lighthouse. We're on our way to the Farallon Islands and hopefully a glimpse of a whale, dolphins, sea birds, etc. Sometimes the sea life obliges, sometimes viewings are elusive. Lately though, the abundance of wildlife in the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary has exceeded our every hope and expectation. Our naturalist Alisa describes a recent trip that thrilled us with extraordinary sightings. Just when we think we've been on the best trip ever, we chance upon a magic day such as Alisa describes below.

"Embarking on a trip through the Golden Gate and into the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary can oftentimes feel like entering an entirely different world. As you lose sight of the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge and the wondrous city of San Francisco, the spirit of adventure has a way of seeping into the hearts and exciting even the most seasoned of explorers. Every trip is a blank page, and how the story is written depends partly on the crew and passengers, and even more so a combination of weather, wildlife and luck. Sunday's trip was one that I, and any other naturalist for that matter, could only dream of."

"It began with a windy departure, during which we saw our usual harbor seals hauled out to rest in Bonita Cove, playful California sea lions and a flock of sooty Shearwaters, a summer visitor from the Southern Hemisphere. The sky above was blanketed by a thick layer of clouds, and the chilly breeze kept most of our passengers bundled up inside the cabin. Despite the bleak weather, I remarked on our favorable visibility. If a whale was in the area, we weren't going to miss it!"

"Sure enough, upon arrival at the Farallon Islands we were left almost no time to marvel at their eerie granite promontories. Captain Jimmy spotted two blows to the North, and soon we were quickly honing in on a pair of hefty Humpback whales. Suddenly, another blow was spotted just off the northwest end of the island, this one belonging to the more cryptic Gray whale. Although their normal hard-wiring calls for these Gray whales to migrate to the Bering Sea every summer to feed, the Farallon Islands are host to a resident population of about 2-4 Grays. These residents are a reliable sighting as they remain in close proximity to the island's shore."

"A second gray surfaced, this one significantly smaller, and those of us aboard the Outer Limits soon found ourselves in the presence of 4 magnificent whales, accounting for two species. As we watched, a tufted puffin flew overhead. This would be one of many delightful puffin-sightings throughout the day. The mood shifted from awe to excitement when one of the smaller Gray whales breached- twice! At this point, not even the pesky kelp flies could thwart our delight. But the enchantment was only beginning."

"Every once in awhile, one may come across a story or news article of a "friendly" whale. These whales exhibit considerable curiosity towards a boat, and will come into close proximity to inquire and investigate the craft and the delighted individuals onboard. This behavior is common amongst Gray whales breeding in the warm shallow lagoons of Baja, but in the Gulf of the Farallones, whales usually have just one thing on their minds- foraging."

"Blue and Humpback whales have just a few short summer months to bulk up as much as possible before migrating thousands of miles South to their winter breeding grounds, where they must subsist on fat reserves stored in their blubber until the next early summer. Come June, even as early as April, they will return to our Sanctuary waters and repeat the process. This is why late summer and fall are among the most exciting times at the Farallones- the waters are alive with krill and actively feeding whales."

"Although oftentimes a whale will show interest in our boat, it is rare to have one give us its undivided attention. Sunday was an exception to that rule. As we cruised west of the Farallones, we hit the jackpot - Humpback whale style. We soon found ourselves surrounded by the majestic "Megaptera novaeangliae", around 7 or 8 individuals, all of which swam about 100 yards from our boat! A curious pair decided to swim closer, and began diving and surfacing continuously off our bow."

"As we idled the boat, taking in the scene, one Humpback kept its distance while the other did something remarkable. Directly off the stern, the whale surfaced and dove regularly, so close that one could count the tubercles on its massive upper jaw, and the barnacles framing its impressive flukes. It remained with us, close enough to touch, rolling on its back, lifting its flukes, slapping the water and giving us a good whiff of fragrant "whale breath" for an incredible fifteen minutes! Passengers, crew and naturalist were brought together by this once in a lifetime experience; magic! We wondered aloud about what the whale was thinking; what was going through this whale's sizable brain?"

"We didn't have to travel much further to witness more teeming wildlife in the the waters around the Farallones. Since the nesting season is over, the bird activity around the islands has dwindled to a reduced number of murre, red-necked phalaropes, tufted puffin, Cassin's auklet, cormorants and gulls. Yet, to the west, a pair of giant Blue Whales were spotted traveling at an incredible speed, casually joining the Humpbacks to dine in an area that appeared to be a plentiful krill patch. We certainly were up to our ears at that point with whales."

"Then, as if on cue, a Black-footed albatross was seen (this has been an amazing year for the usually elusive albatross)! This magnificent bird soared overhead, dipping and gliding over the peak and trough of the ocean swells. We eventually caught up with two adrift on the ocean's surface- the gentle breeze left little wind to power their flight. As we watched the Blues and Humpbacks, an unexpected visitor soared right along our boat's port side. Captain Jimmy excitedly hollered "Laysan albatross!" and we all caught a glimpse of this magnificent white member of the albatross family. Laysan albatrosses are seldom seen here in California, as they mainly forage closer to the Aleutian islands in the Northern Pacific."

"Both the Black-footed and the Laysan albatross nest in the Northwestern Islands of Hawaii, and widely disperse across the entire Pacific to forage during the months of late summer to early fall. Unfortunately, one of the many threats to the survival of both these species is pollution by marine debris- an estimated 5 tons of human waste is accidentally fed to albatross chicks every year, picked up by the parent during their extensive foraging excursions and regurgitated to the young. Sadly, albatross aren't the only ocean species with trouble on the horizon. Many of the species' populations we observed that day are either endangered or declining due to human-related activities, which made our trip that much more significant."

"In the distance, excited humpbacks were breaching, hauling their enormous 40 ton bodies into the air and creating a splash that could rival an explosion of dynamite. As our day came to a close, and we returned to a sunny, busy and bustling San Francisco, I tried my best to conclude our trip with an accurate account of all the wildlife we'd witnessed that day, but was left nearly speechless. I hope our passengers enjoyed this incredible day as much as I did, and departed with not only a few new friends and a camera full of incredible pictures, but a story to tell and remember from a one-of-a-kind day at SF Bay Whale Watching! And a special thanks to passengers Laura and Wendy from the Netherlands who shared this great video with us - have a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVxzisH6uP0"

Photos by Ed Estes. Narration by naturalist Alisa Keenan. Blog by Kathleen Jacques.