Well, you’ve heard it before: everyday is different out on the Bay. Today we had Humpbacks and Orcas, the latter just right outside the harbor!

There have been plenty of Humpbacks hanging around just outside Moss Landing, including a big old female named Big Fin. She comes back every year and has a new calf with her every other. Last year she had the little one and this year she is hanging out with a small Humpback that could well be last year’s calf. Needless to say - the whale watching is great this time of year.

Wow!! What a day! It started out with hundreds of big male California Sea Lions in Moss Landing Harbor on a beautiful sunny day. The same weather, by the way, that is forecast through the weekend! On the way out we saw huge Moon Jellies - by the thousands. Then it was the Orcas. About 20 of the Transients that have been around all week. They were in three groups within a half mile of each other. We think that they were feeding on a carcass (if so it was below the surface and out of sight), perhaps of the Gray Whale they killed yesterday. For over 2 hours we stayed with them and had some amazing encounters. All whales, it seems, like our little vessel Sanctuary, and while we stayed motionless in the water they made numerous close passes.

We eventually left the Orcas in search of Humpbacks (we had been seeing numerous large blows in the distance). Soon thereafter we came upon three medium-sized whales. Captain Noel recognized them as three that they had seen right at Moss Landing yesterday. These 3 whales decided to use us as the focal point of their shallow underwater ballet.

As Francisco said, “you know you’re having a great day whale watching when everyone is looking straight down for, and at, the whales - and not at the horizon!” And so it was. For 30 minutes they flew under us, pectoral fins spread wide and glimmering in the clear water and intense sunlight. They came straight up, out of the depths, surfacing mere feet from us and then dove straight down, the glimmering white of their flukes and pectoral fins dissolving into the deep. OK, enough said. Check out the pictures. I always get the question: “is this a good time to come whale watching?” The answer is no….. it is a GREAT time to come out with us. We have space on Friday, but the weekend is filling up fast. CLICK HERE to go right to our purchasing page.

The Transient Orcas are here and for the last couple of days whale watchers have been witness to a couple of attacks on young Gray Whales. As I write this there is one going on near Moss Landing. It is hard to watch, and very exciting! It is raw nature!

Well, the title says it all. The Humpbacks are right out our front door and the Orcas just a little farther to the west. It looks like two Transient pods of about ten whales each. This is a great week to book as the Orcas will usually stay with us for a few days (at least), and the Humpbacks have been GREAT!!

Captain Noel reported another amazing day out on the water today…..,”There were whales everywhere!” He reckons there were more than 50 whales in the area, both Humpbacks and Grays. The forecast is good for the next few days - through the weekend at least. If you’ve been sitting on the fence waiting for the right time to come out - This is it!

Sunshine, light winds and calm waters…… Humpbacks and Orcas just a couple of minutes outside the harbor…… what else can I say - It was a beautiful Day. As the season progresses, we expect a LOT of days just like this one. Indeed, most of the days this past week have been stellar! So if you have the time to get out this coming week - do it! And if you don’t seem to have the time - try to make it! We never know how long the Orcas will hang out with us, and to have them and the Humpbacks so close to Moss Landing makes it perfect. So we always recommend that you get out there as soon as you can. The Humpbacks, of course, will be with us through Autumn. But why wait?

We had another AWESOME day today with 8-10 Orcas right outside of Moss Landing! They were busily feeding on what was probably the remains of a Sea Lion, and had a lot of interest in our boat again - circling us and swimming underneath on numerous occasions! They were also killing birds today, with a few that had been obviously chomped on floating around, and at least one injured bird being worked over by a large female. Captain Noel reported an upside down and backwards breach by one of them today. Her tail actually came out of the water ahead of her head. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen that!” said Noel. After about and hour and a half with the Orcas the boat moved on and found some Humpbacks as well! Another great trip it was!

Within 1.5 hours of our 4 hour trip today, and within 3 miles of Moss Landing Harbor, we’ve seen: 3 Adult Humpbacks, a mother and calf Gray Whale pair and a mother and calf Orca Pair!! If the past few days is any indication, this weekend promises to be a memorable one! The Whales are amazing, and the weather forecast is looking GREAT! CLICK HERE to check availability and to purchase your tickets now!

By the end of the trip there were Orcas swimming all around our vessel. We were definitely the focus of their attention! “It was an amazing display” reported Captain Noel. To top it all off, after an AWESOME trip, on the way back into the harbor they came upon a bunch more Humpbacks! What can I say, if you’re not out there, you’ll never see it. We had three people with us today that had been trying to get out with us for the last month. The weather had caused us to cancel twice on them - but they persevered! And as I’ve noted before, every day is different and patience really will pay off!