Our June 25 Farallon Islands whale watching expedition got off to a promising start when we encountered a group of bottlenose dolphins just outside of San Francisco Bay. During this sighting, we witnessed 12-15 dolphins traveling northwest toward Pt. Reyes. They periodically leapt up and out of the water and splashed through the sea at remarkable speeds.
>> Click here to see all the photos from this trip.
After the excitement of the dolphins, we made our way out to the Farallon Islands through buffeting winds and unpredictable seas. Our passengers proved to be true, tough explorers and stoically weathered the elements on this open-ocean safari. Their grit was rewarded once we reached our destination as a keen-eyed passenger spotted a Tufted Puffin basking in the sun along with a nearby cormorant
We witnessed a wide range of humpback whale behaviors, including:
Breaching:
Lobtailing:
And Spyhopping:
It total we saw:
Chris Biertuempfel manages Oceanic Society’s California-based programs, continuing the non-profit’s tradition of ocean faring expeditions that began in 1972. Also, he leads whale-centric expeditions in California and Mexico as a naturalist. His work as a photographer from such trips has been featured in several media outlets, including the San Francisco Chronicle and ABC News.