Springtime Brings Variety to Monterey Bay

From April through May we expect to see gray whales migrating northbound back to feeding grounds in the Bering Sea of Alaska, and the arrival of humpback whales into the Monterey Bay for their summer-fall feeding season. This is a great time of year to look for orca hunting activity in our area, too! Here is an update on what we have been seeing lately on our whale watching tours with Santa Cruz Whale Watching.

4/30/17 Amazing day with friendly humpback whale that visited the boat for about an hour! A great day with humpback whales in Monterey Bay!

Velocity, April 30 with our friendly whale, Photo: Lisa Ann Crivello (Thank you!)

4/29/17 We saw Orcas again today in Monterey Bay! There were about 20-30, but we focused on a group of 8-10 nearer to the boat. The orcas were porpoising and frolicking, putting on a great show! One calf even came up close to the boat and rolled over to show us his belly. Adorable!

4/23/17 – Sunday we had breaching humpback whales, despite windy conditions. Luckily guests were able to warm up with hot cocoa from the galley snack bar.

Here's some gorgeous video of gray whales migrating through Monterey Bay  on their way north back to Alaska. Video by Daniel Hernandez