On our first trip of the day we found whales several miles off of Muir Beach. We initially found just one animal, then spotted more whales heading towards us.
They were herding the bait and feeding cooperatively.
We had five humpbacks in this area and saw behaviors including tail slapping and lunge feeding.
There were fishing vessels and birds around the whales who were also taking advantage of the anchovies. We were in about 70 feet of water. One of the whales we saw on this trip was Gator, a frequent visitor to San Francisco.
On our next trip we found humpback whales very close to the spot where we had left them. Two humpbacks were feeding in 47 feet of water. We saw fluke dives from these animals. I was able to spot Gator again using the whale’s distinct dorsal fin.
Birds hovered over the whales, indicating that they were feeding. Despite big swell and some wind, we stayed with the whales for about half an hour.
-Allison
This post was adapted from a blog, read the original here
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