At 9am we boarded a whale watch boat and set out on Monterey Bay for a 5 hour adventure. After passing sea lions and sea otters we spotted some harbor porpoises in the distance. They swam off before we could get closer, but shortly after we found what we had really been looking for -- a humpback whale! It would surface for a bit, then dive for a bit, then surface again. Until, finally, it came up and BREACHED -- TWICE! Near the whale there was also a small pod of Risso's dolphins including several small calves who all seemed happy to have our attention.
Later in the afternoon we headed south to Point Lobos to go tidepooling. The geology was much different here from Pigeon Point and it was a higher energy environment. There were fewer anemone and many more mussels and barnacles. Low tide never got very low because of an increasing swell, so our tidepooling was limited. After warning us to watch for big waves coming in, Larry ended up getting soaked by one! In the meantime we all enjoyed exploring the rocky outcroppings and cliffs and watching the waves crashing against them.
--Laura Wallach
post-breach whale
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