Oceans Alive - Whale Tales from the Field . . . Monterey Bay
Let me introduce myself, my name is Amanda Banks and I am a researcher at Planet Whale. I've been with Planet Whale for almost a year compiling our global report on Cetacean Conservation Organisations and writing articles for the site. For the next three months I am out in the field collecting some dramatic first hand accounts of whale/dolphin watching and conservation to bring to your computer screens. I'll be giving you an as-if-you-were-here encounter, which may well have you wishing-you-were-here too.
Monterey Bay, California
So where am I now? Well, I am in Monterey Bay in Northern California. Before you start imagining sunshine, glamour and bikinis, think again. We have our own microclimate here and it remains relatively cool for most of the year. An amazing aspect of the bay is the fog bank, which at this time of the year can either sit out in the bay or encroach onto land giving the area a wonderfully mysterious atmosphere. It is also strangely fickle; you can be blessed with glorious sunshine in one place while a mile away you can be shivering in thick, damp fog.
The absolutely incredible thing about Monterey Bay, which makes it such a hotspot for whales and dolphins, is its geology. Deep underwater, the Monterey Canyon runs from the centre of the bay out into the Pacific Ocean. It is said that the Grand Canyon could easily fit into it. The canyon is responsible for making Monterey Bay a prime feeding area for many species of marine mammals. Nutrient rich cold water at the bottom of the canyon rises upwards where the sun hits it initiating photosynthesis and creating the start of one big food chain. The result? Whales and dolphins can be seen all year round, making Monterey Bay a whale and dolphin lovers’ paradise.
Whales and Dolphins in Monterey Bay
Minke Whales, Pacific White-sided, Risso's and Northern Right Whale Dolphins can be seen all year. Killer Whales, or Orcas, continually frequent the area but are generally only seen a couple of times a month when they come in and out of the bay to hunt.
Blue, Humpback and Fin Whales migrate here to feed and, depending on species, may be seen from late March till December.
Add to all this the fact that this stretch of coastline is on the migration route of Gray Whales during winter and spring, and you have a wonderful diversity of cetaceans to choose from. (Cetacean = whales and dolphins.)
Conservation and Whale Watching in Monterey Bay
It is not surprising that there are several whale watching companies operating in the area. According to local conservationist Peggy Stap, they operate ethically and adhere to strict codes of conduct to prevent negative impact on the animals. Peggy's conservation organisation Marine Life Studies is also based in Monterey.
Orcas are Peggy's primary research area. Due to a lack of funds this spring, an ongoing issue for many conservationists, Peggy cannot use her own research boat to study them. Instead, she is working in partnership with local whale watching companies, accompanying them on their trips. This is a great example of how conservationists and whale watch operators can work cooperatively together.
On several occasions we have been warmly invited to join Benji Shake's Monterey Whale Watching and been treated to seeing Humpbacks breaching, Gray Whales migrating and pods of Risso's and Pacific White-sided Dolphins.
Monterey Whale Watch's captain Leon Oliver told me they generally have sightings on 98% of their trips. He also described his most memorable sighting; they once came across a Humpback Whale which breached 87 times in succession, and that was just from when they started counting! Captain Brent, also known as Duke, told me how amazing the whale watching was last summer. In 2010, there was an unusually large amount of krill and this produced a feeding frenzy. Brent said that you could look out one side of the boat and see 15 Blue Whales and look the other side to see 30 feeding Humpbacks!
A Not So Brief Encounter
We have also joined Kate Cummings and Jim Davis who run Blue Ocean Whale Watch. Kate volunteers with Marine Life Studies in her spare time so she shares Peggy's love for Orcas.
On our first trip with Kate and Jim we, and all of the tourists lucky enough to be on board, were treated to the most fantastic of whale watching experiences. As every whale watch operator will tell you, you get good days, a few bad days and a sprinkling of days that you remember for a lifetime. This trip was one of the latter. About fifty minutes out of port we came across a pod of Orca's. To spot Orca's for a minute or two is a lucky encounter, but to witness what we witnessed is, as Kate said, a "once every couple of year's trip".
When we first came upon them they were all around the boat - maybe seven to twelve individuals, it was impossible to count. They were in hunting mode, moving fast and purposefully in different directions. On all sides, we saw Orca's swimming at the surface and porpoising (leaping horizontally out of the water to travel faster). We even saw some breaching (leaping vertically up out of the water). To everyone's amazement, almost directly in front of the boat we saw an adult Orca leap out of the water with something just in front of it's mouth; it had to be the prey, but in the speed of the moment we had no idea what it was. After this frenetic period, the Orca's behavior changed entirely. They had evidently caught their prey and were now relaxing. They moved leisurely around the boat, and we were treated to seeing an adult spy-hopping (sticking its head vertically up out of the water to look at us). We did not see who ate the kill but there were adults and calves in the group, so maybe the youngsters fed that day. After relaxing for a while the group set off in one clear direction, sometimes swimming at the surface and sometimes diving to swim underwater. We had heard reports of another pod of Orcas further out on the bay, so maybe our group was heading off to join them.
After over an hour in their company, we reluctantly had to turn our boat around and head back into port.
That evening as Peggy looked through more than 500 photographs she had taken that day she realised she had a photograph of the kill. Surprisingly, it turned out that the unfortunate prey was a Common Dolphin; surprising because these dolphins are not normally seen in the bay at this time of year.
The trip and Peggy's photo prove that you just never can tell what you are going to encounter on any whale watching trip or research expedition. My advice is to go with a humble attitude of acceptance that you may only get a tantalising glimpse of an animal, but with fingers tightly crossed that you have a once in deep-blue moon encounter. Who knows on which day the Orcas may smile on you!
More about Peggy Stap and Monterey Bay next time in Oceans Alive - whale tales from the field...
This article featured Marine Life Studies, Monterey Whale Watching and Blue Ocean Whale Watch. For more information visit: www.marinelifestudies.org, www.blueoceanwhalewatch.com, www.montereywhalewatching.com
For more accounts of Amanda's work with conservationists in USA, Peru and Canada visit: http://amandabanks.com/blog/
Copyright in dolphin / whale photographs belongs to Peggy Stap, Marine Life Studies
