 The entire Gray Whale population migrates
past the Monterey coastline every winter and spring. These whales have
one of the longest animal migrations known, traveling over 12,000 miles
from their summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea to their winter breeding
grounds in Baja California and back again. Gray Whales have come back
from the brink of extinction and now number over 25,000 individuals and
have recently been taken off the endangered species list. Gray Whales
are easily observed as they hug the coastline during migration.
Gray Whales are present off Monterey from December through May. Off Monterey,
Gray Whales migrate south from December through mid February, with peak
numbers occurring during mid January. Whales migrate north from mid February
through May, peaking during mid March. Most adult and juvenile whales
pass Monterey on their way to Alaska by mid April. Mother gray whales
with their newly born calves pass Monterey during April and May. The mother/calf
pairs are most susceptible to Killer Whale attacks in the Bay during this
period.
Gray Whales reach lengths of 45', are generally gray in color with white
mottling, and have many barnacles and whale lice embedded in their skin.
They migrate slowly, at about 2-5 miles/hr, and generally blow 3-5 times
before fluking up and diving for 2-7 minutes. During this migration they
occasionally breach, spyhop, and mate with other Grays. They travel singly
or in pods ranging from 2 to 10 whales.
Monterey Bay is the best place along the California coast to observe gray
whales. Since the shallow continental shelf does not extend very far from
shore off Monterey due to the nearshore submarine canyon, Gray Whales
can be found within a few miles of the coast in this region compared to
15 or more miles from shore off San Francisco.
 The Humpback Whale is an endangered
species, occurring in all the world's oceans. The central California population
of Humpback Whales migrates from their winter calving and mating areas
off Mexico to their summer and fall feeding areas off coastal California.
Humpback Whales occur in Monterey Bay from late April to early December.
During this period the whales are here to feed on anchovies, sardines,
and krill.
Humpback Whales reach lengths of 50 to 55', are dark in color with distinctive
nodules on their rostrum, and have pectoral flippers that are nearly a
third of their body length. Current population estimates for Humpback
Whales off California conducted by Cascadia Research Collective indicate
there are about 800 whales in this population. All whales have been photo-identified
by natural markings and coloration on the underside of the tail fluke.
From this photo-identification work, the migratory movements, calving
intervals, association patterns, and population estimates can be determined
for these whales.
Humpback Whales are in Monterey Bay to feed and they often shift to various
feeding locations depending on prey density. Humpbacks are often observed
lunge feeding near the surface or deep diving for prey that is concentrated
several hundred feet deep. This whale is the most animated of all the
baleen whales, and in the Bay they are often seen breaching, spyhopping,
pectoral fin slapping, and tail lobbing.
 In recent years, many
different Humpback Whales in this population often approach our boat for
"friendly" encounters. When engaging in this "friendly" behavior, a whale
will often circle our boat, rub up against it, spyhop within several feet
of the boat, roll on its side and extend its pectoral flipper toward the
boat, and often tilt its head with an eye open, appearing to look up at
the boat and people on board. This phenomenon has been increasing each
year, probably because this new generation of whales that have never known
whaling are becoming curious about boats, and they often stay for several
hours investigating our boat. This contact is totally initiated by the
whales.
Monterey Bay is one of the best places to observe humpbacks on a day's
whale watch because the submarine canyon approaches very close to shore
here. The whales are frequently found along the edges of the canyon where
prey tends to concentrate. At times, the whales come even closer to shore
while feeding on anchovies and can also be found 8-20 miles from shore
where concentrations of krill occur in relation to thermal fronts. We
attempt to photo-identify all Humpback Whales sighted on Monterey Bay
Whale Watch trips and contribute these photos to Cascadia Research.
 The Blue Whale is the largest animal
ever to live on earth, reaching lengths of 80 to 100'. Blues feed only
on krill and are found in Monterey Bay from June through October during
times of high krill abundance. Like the Humpbacks, Blue Whales often shift
to various feeding locations off central California in search of krill
concentrations. Blue Whales begin to migrate south during November. It
is still a mystery as to where the Blue Whales gather to give birth and
mate, but it is suspected this happens in offshore waters south of Mexico.
Blue Whales produce very low frequency sounds that are probably used for
long-range communication, with some sounds possibly used to locate dense
krill patches. These low moaning sounds can travel over hundreds or thousands
of miles across ocean basins.
Blue Whales are truly a majestic species, with a tall narrow blow of up
to 30'. A bright blue coloration is easily observed before the whales
surface. Because of their size, only part of their body is visible at
a time and the dorsal fin is usually observed just before their dive.
Blue Whales may lunge feed at the surface to engulf surface swarms of
krill or they may fluke up and dive to several hundred feet for deep krill
concentrations. A single Blue Whale consumes about 4 tons of krill or
40 million individual krill each day. In Monterey Bay, Blue Whales often
occur near the edges of the submarine canyon where krill tends to concentrate.
The population of Blue Whales off California has been estimated to number
about 2,200 individuals from work conducted by Cascadia Research Collective.
Blue Whales are endangered with only about 10,000 existing in the world.
The population off California appears to be the largest and healthiest
population of Blues in the world. Each Blue Whale can be identified by
photographing the side of the whale with its dorsal fin in view, as Blue
Whales have very distinctive mottling patterns on their grayish blue body.
We attempt to photo-identify all Blue Whales sighted on Monterey Bay Whale
Watch trips and contribute the photos to Cascadia Research for analysis.
 Killer Whales occur year-round and
are occasionally seen (2-5 times per month) in the Monterey Bay area
in pods that average 8 to 20 individuals. Two types of Killer Whales
normally occur here, the "transients" and "offshores". "Transient" Killer
Whales prey on marine mammals, travel long distances, and tend to have
pointed dorsal fins with closed saddle patches. Within Monterey Bay,
these whales attack Gray Whales, California Sea Lions, Harbor Seals,
Elephant Seals, and Dall's Porpoise. "Offshore" Killer Whales are a
recently discovered form that tend to travel in large groups of up to
100 individuals, and tend to have more rounded dorsal fins. These whales
probably feed on fish and squid.
In January 2000, "Resident" Killer Whales from Washington State and
British Columbia were observed and photographed in Monterey Bay for
the first time. This remarkable event is described in our February
2000 feature.
As part of the Monterey Bay Cetacean Project, we have photo-identified
close to 200 individual Killer Whales off California, with the majority
identified in Monterey Bay. Killer Whales identified in Monterey Bay
have been repeatedly sighted within the same year and over subsequent
years. Several of these individual whales have been sighted from southern
California to Alaska, indicating they inhabit a large range. We are
also monitoring the predatory behavior of Killer Whales and have observed
several attacks on Gray Whale calves by Killer Whales in Monterey Bay.
Killer Whales are most frequently sighted in the Bay from January through
May and from September through November.
See our Killer Whale
Photo Gallery for photos illustrating the appearance and behavior
of Killer Whales in Monterey Bay.
Additional sources of information about Killer Whales in Monterey Bay:
 Minke Whales are the smallest of the
baleen whales at about 30' in length. In the Monterey Bay region, it is
possible to see Minke Whales year-round, but they are most frequently
sighted during the summer and fall. These whales are usually found nearshore
over rocky bottom regions where they prey on juvenile rockfishes.
Minke Whales do not have a visible blow and usually exhibit erratic surfacing
patterns. However, they are easily sighted by their relatively large dorsal
fin and dark body. There appear to be some resident Minke Whales that
feed in southern Monterey Bay and along the Big Sur coast. They usually
are found as singles.
 Fin Whales are occasionally encountered
during the summer and fall in Monterey Bay and the surrounding waters,
although they are more common farther from shore. They are easily identified
by their tall blow, dark body, large dorsal fin, and white coloration
on their right lower jaw. Fin Whales are capable of traveling at speeds
exceeding 20 knots.
 Beaked Whales inhabit deep
offshore waters, are found in fairly small groups, dive for long periods,
and therefore are rarely observed. Baird's Beaked Whales are found only
in the North Pacific and are the largest of the Beaked Whales. Sightings
of these animals usually occur in the fall in Monterey Bay.
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