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DECEMBER 2024 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 2024

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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. 5 Humpback Whales

12/31 9 a.m. 10 Humpback Whales
200 Pacific White-sided Dolphins
50 Northern Right Whale Dolphins

12/30 1:30 p.m. 5 Humpback Whales

12/30 9 a.m. 8 Humpback Whales (breaching)

12/29 9 a.m. 1 Humpback Whale (tail lobbing)

12/28 1:30 p.m. 2 Humpback Whales
hundreds Sea Lions

12/28 9 a.m. 6 Humpback Whales
1 Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)
hundreds Sea Nettles
1 Black-footed Albatross

12/27 1:30 p.m. 1 Humpback Whale (breaching)

12/27 9 a.m. 5 Humpback Whales

12/26 60+ Offshore Killer Whales (Orcas) reported by
the California Killer Whale Project

12/26 9 a.m. 6 Humpback Whales
1 Gray Whale
15 Risso’s Dolphins
1 Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)

12/25 9 a.m. 2 Humpback Whales

12/23 9 a.m. 8 Humpback Whales
1 Fin Whale

12/22 1:30 p.m. 8 Humpback Whales

12/22 9 a.m. 9 Humpback Whales

12/20 9 a.m. 6 Humpback Whales
5 Killer Whales (Orcas – CA200s)

12/19 9 a.m. 12 Humpback Whales
4 Killer Whales (Orcas – CA39As)

12/17 9 a.m. 17 Humpback Whales

12/16 9 a.m. 28 Humpback Whales
1 Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)

12/15 1:30 p.m. 10 Humpback Whales
2 Gray Whales

12/15 9 a.m. 9 Humpback Whales
4 Killer Whales (Orcas – CA39As)

12/13 1:30 p.m. 10 Humpback Whales

12/13 9 a.m. 10 Humpback Whales (feeding frenzy)

12/8 9 a.m. 17 Humpback Whales (breaching)

12/7 9 a.m. 9 Humpback Whales
4 Killer Whales (Orcas – CA39As)

12/6 9 a.m. 15 Humpback Whales
5 Killer Whales (Orcas – CA122Cs & CA122D)

12/5 9 a.m. 8 Humpback Whales
7 Killer Whales (Orcas)

12/3 9 a.m. 31 Humpback Whales (breaching)

12/2 9 a.m. 26 Humpback Whales (breaching)
3 Killer Whales (Orcas – CA223s) hunting a Sea Lion
30 Risso’s Dolphins (nursery pod)

12/1 1:30 p.m. 15 Humpback Whales (breaching)
75 Risso’s Dolphins (nursery pod with calves)

12/1 9 a.m. 19 Humpback Whales
4 Killer Whales (Orcas – CA140s)

Photos © 2024 Daniel Bianchetta

 

a flock of seagulls are swimming in the water

Pacific White-sided Dolphins (with dorsal fins) and Northern Right Whale Dolphins (December 31, 2024)

 

animal on the water

Northern Right Whale Dolphin calf (December 31, 2024)

 

a dog swimming in a body of water

Southern Sea Otter eating a crab (December 30, 2024)

 

a bird swimming in water next to the ocean

Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish – December 26, 2024)

 

a flock of seagulls are swimming in a body of water

Pod of Risso’s Dolphins (December 26, 2024)

 

a whale jumping out of the water

Juvenile Fin Whale (December 23, 2024)

 

a bird flying over a body of water

Brown Pelican (December 16, 2024)

 

a whale jumping out of the water

Gray Whale tail (December 15, 2024)

 

a bird flying over a body of water

Humpback Whales (December 13, 2024)

 

a duck swimming in a body of water

Mother and pup Sea Otter (December 7, 2024)

 

a bird swimming in water

Loon catching breakfast in the harbor (December 2, 2024)

 

a whale jumping out of the water

Breaching Humpback Whale (December 2, 2024)

 

an animal swimming in the water

Killer Whale CA140 Emma with one of her offspring (December 1, 2024)

 

Photos © 2024 Daniel Bianchetta

Copyright © 2024 Monterey Bay Whale Watch, LLC. No use of the sightings information is permitted without prior approval.