One of California’s best natural spectacles is taking place right in front of our beaches and piers.
While whale sightings are common in the summer from Monterey to Point Reyes, the abundance of fish swimming in shallow waters attracts large numbers of the largest animals on earth within easy viewing distance.
“They’re very close to shore – and in some cases in the surf. Usually they’re further out,” says Jennifer Stock of the Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries, which are run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Some have even traveled through the Golden Gate Bridge.
Last month, naturalist Ted Cheeseman counted 387 individual humpback whales in Monterey Bay, an increase from the usual number of 200 to 250. Some of the whales are familiar visitors seen in previous summers. Others are new arrivals or young calves accompanying their mothers. Observers send hundreds of whale photos daily to Cheeseman’s website, Happywhale.com, where he closely examines their markings to identify them.
On Chris Campos’s Facebook page, Pacific Whalespotting, dozens of excited whale watchers are quick to post the exact locations and times of their sightings so others can join in.
“It was incredible,” said Campo. “The special thing is that the whales stayed so close. Many people cheer when they see them.”
As he looked out at the surf and sunset from Sharp Park Beach south of Pacifica Pier on Monday night, “whales were just a stone’s throw away,” Campo said.
Our waters are the summer destination for these whales. They do not continue their journey to Alaska, as once thought.
After giving birth in the winter off the coasts of Mexico and Central America, they migrate with their calves and other squirrels to the waters of the Bay Area. Here they stay, feeding and frolicking until it is time to return south in November.
What brings them near is their prey, such as anchovies, sardines and other schooling fish. It is not known why the fish are near; perhaps winds have caused the upwelling of cold water.
The fish are so close that “you can smell them and see many birds diving in the water,” Stock said.
“You see the surface of the water rippling, then the anchovies literally jump out of the water in clouds, fleeing from the whales,” Campo said. “It almost sounds like rain.”
It is also a mystery how the whales get the message that we are a hotspot.
Maybe they just sense that conditions are perfect, Cheeseman says. “Or maybe they can hear each other or call each other. They are social animals and can listen from great distances.”
Humpback whales are recognizable by their dark “hump” backs and large dorsal fins. They are much more acrobatic and performative, diving into the depths and jumping above water than other species.
Some leap out of the water and crash back to the surface with a loud splash. Others throw their tails and then dive. Sometimes they “spy,” poking their heads out of the water’s surface and inspecting their surroundings. Most often, all that is seen is a cloud of exhaled water vapor, called a plume or “slap.” Humpback whales have distinctive tall, column-shaped plumes.
Once hunted to near extinction, humpback whales are still considered endangered, but are making a comeback. The International Whaling Commission’s moratorium on commercial hunting, in place since 1985, has played a major role in the species’ recovery. NOAA estimates there are currently nearly 5,000 humpback whales off the West Coast.
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But they live in a huge obstacle course because their habitat overlaps with the most important shipping routes. As a result, they are often affected by fishing nets, underwater noise and ship collisions.
Their proximity is a cause for celebration, but also a cause for concern, as the Bay Area has one of the busiest ports on the West Coast, with 85 private and recreational marinas, high-speed ferries, and tremendous ship traffic. Collisions are deadly.
When encountering whales and other marine mammals, NOAA says boaters should slow down and travel at “no-wake” speeds. Put the engine in neutral when whales approach to pass. Stay at least 100 yards away, about the length of a football field, whether you’re on a boat, kayak, paddleboard or other watercraft.
Never pursue the whales, said NOAA’s Stock. Any vessel movement should be slightly parallel or from behind the animal, maintaining a certain distance. If you must go around a whale, do so from behind. Never approach head-on. Leave the area slowly if there are signs of disturbance.
No one knows how long this increase in the humpback whale population will continue. It all depends on how long the fish stay here. Another species, the gray whale, will arrive in November or December on their migration south from Alaska.
“This has been going on for weeks, but it could change at any time,” Campo said. “I’m warning people, these whales are hunting fish. They’re not going to stay here forever.”
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