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DECEMBER 2023 MONTEREY BAY WHALE WATCH MARINE MAMMAL SIGHTINGS LIST

MARINE MAMMAL SIGHTINGS IN THE MONTEREY BAY REGION

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

December 2023
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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.

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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   Killer Whale identifications by the California Killer Whale Project
Date # Type of Animal(s)

12/31 1:30 p.m. 6 Gray Whales

12/31 10 a.m. 2 Humpback Whales
2 Gray Whales

12/31 9 a.m. 2 Humpback Whales
3 Gray Whales

12/30 9 a.m. 6 Humpback Whales
9 Killer Whales (Orcas – CA140Bs and CA122Cs)
1500 Pacific White-sided Dolphins
200 Northern Right Whale Dolphins

12/25 9 a.m. 2 Humpback Whales
1 Gray Whale

12/24 9 a.m. 2 Gray Whales
600 Risso’s Dolphins (including Casper)

12/23 1:30 p.m. 2 Humpback Whales (breaching)

12/23 10 a.m. 5 Humpback Whales

12/23 9 a.m. 2 Humpback Whales
2 Gray Whales

12/21 9 a.m. 3 Humpback Whales
400 Risso’s Dolphins

12/17 9 a.m. 3 Humpback Whales

12/16 1:30 p.m. 4 Humpback Whales
50 Pacific White-sided Dolphins
350 Risso’s Dolphins (including Casper)

12/16 9 a.m. 2 Humpback Whales
50 Pacific White-sided Dolphins
650 Risso’s Dolphins (including Casper)

12/15 9 a.m. 3 Humpback Whales (“Chin-up” + calf + escort)

12/14 9 a.m. 6 Humpback Whales
80 Risso’s Dolphins
4 Black-footed albatross

12/13 9 a.m. 5 Humpback Whales
10 Pacific White-sided Dolphins
115 Risso’s Dolphins
3 Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)
5 Black-footed albatross

12/12 9 a.m. 8 Killer Whales (Orcas – friendly and active)
50 Risso’s Dolphins

12/11 9 a.m. 10 Humpback Whales
5 Black-footed albatross

12/10 9 a.m. 11 Humpback Whales
20 Risso’s Dolphins

12/9 1:30 p.m. 10 Humpback Whales

12/9 9 a.m. 17 Killer Whales (Orcas – Minke Whale predation)

12/8 1:30 p.m. 4 Humpback Whales

12/8 10 a.m. 6 Humpback Whales
Charter 60 Risso’s Dolphins

12/7 9 a.m. 6 Humpback Whales
80 Risso’s Dolphins
4 Black-footed albatross
1 Belted Kingfisher
1 Ancient Murrelet

12/6 9 a.m. 10 Humpback Whales (breaching)
30 Risso’s Dolphins
3 Black-footed albatross

12/4 9 a.m. 11 Humpback Whales
200 Pacific White-sided Dolphins
1000 Risso’s Dolphins
10 Northern Right Whale Dolphins

12/3 9 a.m. 9 Humpback Whales (breaching, lunge-feeding)

12/2 9 a.m. 9 Humpback Whales
4 Killer Whales (Orcas – CA39As)

12/1 9 a.m. 9 Humpback Whales
60 Risso’s Dolphins

Photos © 2023 Daniel Bianchetta

a whale jumping out of the water

Gray Whale flukes (December 31, 2023)

 

a dog swimming in a body of water

Killer Whales including calf (Orcas)
(December 30, 2023)

 

an animal swimming in the water

Southern Sea Otters (December 23, 2023)

 

Eared Grebes (December 21, 2023)

 

a whale jumping out of the water with a mountain in the background

Breaching Humpback Whale (December 16, 2023)

 

a bird swimming in water

Breaching Risso’s Dolphin (December 16, 2023)

 

a bird swimming in water

White Risso’s Dolphin Casper (December 16, 2023)

 

a whale jumping out of the water

Humpback Whale tail throwing (December 13, 2023)

 

a person swimming in a body of water

Killer Whale (Orca) kelping (playing with kelp)
(December 7, 2023)

 

a bird flying over a body of water

Lunge-feeding Humpback Whales (December 3, 2023)

 

a bird flying over a body of water

Black-footed Albatross (December 2, 2023)

 

a body of water next to the ocean

Killer Whales (Orcas – December 2, 2023)

Photos © 2023 Daniel Bianchetta

Copyright © 2023 Monterey Bay Whale Watch, LLC. No use of the sightings information is permitted without prior approval.

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