Monterey Bay Whale Watch
List of Marine Mammal Sightings
in the Monterey Bay Region
May 2020

Note — This list includes reported sightings from Monterey Bay Whale Watch trips. Unusual sightings of other marine animals such as Leatherback Sea Turtles and Basking Sharks are also listed, in addition to unusual seabirds such as Albatross and Brown Boobies. California Sea Lions are mentioned only if numbers or behavior are of interest. Harbor Seals and Southern Sea Otters, which are seen on all whale watching trips, are not included in the list.
There were no regularly scheduled whale watching trips in May, due to sheltering in place. All sightings in May were on Survey Days – Our biologists monitor and count species. Sightings from Survey Days are highlighted in pale yellow. |
These sightings are copyright protected and may not be used without permission from Nancy Black. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use of this information is a violation of federal copyright law, and is subject to prosecution to the full extent of the law.

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|
Date |
# |
Type of Animal(s) |
|
5/31 (4 hrs) |
6 |
Humpback Whales |
Research
Survey |
300 |
Risso’s Dolphins |
|
5/28 (4 hrs) |
8 |
Humpback Whales |
Research
Survey |
350 |
Risso’s Dolphins |
|
5/24 (6 hrs) |
5 |
Humpback Whales |
Research
Survey |
15 |
Risso’s Dolphins |
|
5/17 (6 hrs) |
5 |
Humpback Whales |
Research |
50 |
Pacific White-sided Dolphins |
Survey |
50 |
Risso’s Dolphins |
|
5/16 (4 hrs) |
4 |
Humpback Whales |
Research |
70 |
Pacific White-sided Dolphins |
Survey |
20 |
Risso’s Dolphins |
|
150 |
Northern Right Whale Dolphins |
|
5/12 (5 hrs) |
49 |
Humpback Whales |
Research |
100 |
Pacific White-sided Dolphins |
Survey |
300 |
Risso’s Dolphins |
|
20 |
Northern Right Whale Dolphins |
|
5 |
Harbor Porpoise |
|
5/10 (5 hrs)
Research
Survey |
24 |
Humpback Whales |
|
5/9 (4 hrs) |
17 |
Humpback Whales |
Research
Survey |
20 |
Risso’s Dolphins |
|
5/6 (5 hrs)
Research
Survey |
16 |
Humpback Whales |
|
5/3 (4 hrs) |
26 |
Humpback Whales |
Research |
500 |
Pacific White-sided Dolphins |
Survey |
30 |
Risso’s Dolphins |
|
|
|
|
2 |
Harbor Porpoise |
|
5/2 (6 hrs) |
24 |
Humpback Whales |
Research |
150 |
Risso’s Dolphins |
Survey |
6 |
Dall’s Porpoise |
|
5/1 (4 hrs) |
23 |
Humpback Whales |
Research
Survey |
150 |
Risso’s Dolphins |
|
|
|
All photos © 2020 Daniel Bianchetta

Pacific White-sided Dolphins (May 17, 2020)

Risso’s Dolphin and Brandt’s Cormorants
(May 17, 2020)

Black-footed Albatross taking off (May 16, 2020)

Humpback Whale tail and Sea Lion (May 12, 2020)

Humpback Whale tail ID photo (May 7, 2020)

Osprey (May 7, 2020)

Bottlenose Dolphins (May 7, 2020)
All photos © 2020 Daniel Bianchetta |
|
Copyright © 2020 Monterey Bay Whale Watch, LLC. No use of the sightings information is permitted without prior approval.
