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Thursday, December 9, 2021 23
Pelagic Safari
CVN
UNPREDICTABLE WILDERNESS CHUCK GRAHAM The deep submarine canyon was boiling with marine life. Massive bait balls of fish were swirling together, herded by several hungry humpback whales. Pacific white-sided dolphins were sidling up nearby, piggybacking on the humpback’s aquatic pursuit. A few California sea lions weaved their way into the mix between all the cetaceans in Monterey Bay. Anticipation mounted long before we reached Monterey Bay for a whale watch excursion out to one of the most studied places on the planet in terms of oceanography and marine biology. Monterey Bay teems with marine mammals and throngs of seabirds. The massive trench is also known as “the Grand Canyon of the West Coast.” It is one mile deep and 300 miles long. I traveled with my girlfriend Holly Lohuis, a naturalist and marine biologist; it’s always fun being on the boats with her, learning from someone who has devoted a big chunk of her life to marine conservation. After we booked two whale watching trips, we both kept tabs on the daily sightings leading up to our trips. It seemed like every day was the next best day for sightings. What would ours be like? Not only do folks want to see the amazing animals that flock to Monterey like it’s some sort of pelagic Mecca, but the weather is another factor. Fog and northwesterly winds can put a damper on a trip, making it challenging to spot marine mammals. The reports we tracked before our trips showed heaps of orca activity towards the tail end of the northbound gray whale migration. One report in particular spoke of orca predation on a gray whale calf with as many as 15 orcas feeding on the carcass.
Right out of the gate
As our first trip began, we weren’t out of the harbor yet before we saw a southern sea otter feeding on a crab, lying on its back and using its chest like a kitchen table. The marine mammal with the densest fur in the animal kingdom finished off the crab within seconds. Just beyond the jetties we were greeted by a small pod of Risso’s dolphins appearing just off our starboard bow. They have the ability to dive 1,000 feet down and hold their breath for 30 minutes. Predominantly deep-water marine mammals, it was surprising seeing them so close to the harbor, but wildlife is on its schedule.
Lunge-feeding humpbacks are seen in Monterey Bay.
A black-footed albatross displays its impressive 10-foot-wide wingspan while, at right, a pod of orcas searches for food. They’re unpredictable. Holly and I posted up on the bow of the boat. We didn’t want to miss anything. It was clear with winds light and variable. The weather was favorable for spotting big splashes on the distant horizon for some pelagic megafauna. That first trip we were not disappointed. Orcas are always at the top of our list whether in Monterey Bay or the Santa Barbara Channel, but Monterey Bay definitely has a higher sighting rate when it comes to experiencing these apex predators. They are at the very top of the food chain. Their intelligence is on a whole other level with complex family dynamics. Seeing them in the past has always been a thrill, and we were in luck on our first trip. They were moving fast and there were six orcas in the pod. Because they are a keystone species, everything steers clear of them except seabirds that know
eventually the orcas will locate prey – and the seabirds will be there to clean things up. Nothing goes to waste out there. We stayed with the orca for a good portion of our three-hour trip. It was hard to leave them knowing they would eventually pursue something. However, all the whale watching companies work together out there, so every company shares information and allows any boats in the vicinity to enjoy the wildlife. We were just getting started though. Further out into Monterey Bay, it was only a matter of time before cetaceans appeared again.
The most animated
It was a tail fluke and several spouts that drew the captain’s attention. Clearly visible from the bow of the boat, humpback whales are the most fun to watch of the baleen whales. They were busy too. In hot pursuit of massive bait balls of
A Pacific white-sided dolphin slides up to a humpback whale in pursuit of food.
sardines, they were pushing their prey hard. Everyone on the boat was on their feet anticipating what might happen next. There would be quiet, and then suddenly the baitfish would begin jumping out of the water, followed by the lunge-feeding humpbacks. Their colossal mouths were fully agape consuming as much food as possible, baitfish filtering through bristles of baleen. Humpbacks are well-equipped for action. Adults weigh in at 40 tons, or about the size of five African elephants. They’re not the biggest whales. That title belongs to the blue whale, but humpbacks hold the distinction for the largest pectoral flippers that reach 15-feet in length. This helps them swim fast and make tight arcs underwater as they chase down their prey. There were lots of seabirds flying overhead and sitting in the water just outside where the humpbacks were feeding. The most impressive was a lone black-footed albatross soaring and swooping above the whales. On the fringe were sooty shearwaters, northern fulmars and common murres. We could’ve easily stayed out on the boat all day. With that much wildlife around, three hours came up quick, but we were appreciative of the amazing web of life constantly teeming throughout Monterey Bay. Adventure and travel writer Chuck Graham lives in Carpinteria and contributes his writing and photography to publications far and wide. For more wildlife photos, visit chuckgrahamphoto.com or follow Graham on Instagram at @chuckgrahamphoto.