Humpback Whale with entanglement scars on tail

May 15th: Close looks at 4 Humpback Whales, including “Fallon” (surface feeding), “Walter” (traveling close to Santa Cruz) and this individual with an incredibly unique tail (photos 1-3). The scarring and folded over left fluke indicate this individual most likely had a previous entanglement with marine debris. We also saw California Sea Lions and a Harbor Seal. 

Photos & text by Sydney Minges

Humpback Whale with scarring & folded over fluke

Humpback Whale with damage to his tail, probably from an entanglement

Humpback Whale damaged tail/fluke

Humpack Whale fluke

Humpback Whale pectoral fin

Humpback Whale tail

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale fluke

California Sea Lions

Harbor Seals in Santa Cruz Harbor