On our Farallon Islands whale watching trip on August 6, 2016, as we headed toward the islands we saw a number of splashes off the left front of the boat on the horizon. Upon closer examination we discovered it was a lone humpback slapping its pectoral fin on the water. This particularly gregarious humpback was only the beginning of what would turn into a truly remarkable experience.
>> Click here to see all the photos from this trip.
It was an amazing opportunity for photography as the whales
were coming up predictably and close to the boat. We could hear the humpbacks respire and whistle as they surfaced, and we were sprayed by the mist of their
blows. These whales were around long enough that we overcame our initial
excitement and surprise and entered into a relaxed appreciation of this
once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Eventually we moved on from the large group of humpbacks and
reached the
Farallon Islands. There we were greeted by thousands of vocal
seabirds highlighted by a number of
Tufted Puffins. Circling the islands we
came upon scores of
sea lions swimming in the swells, periodically taking a
look at the boat.
What had already been a full day was capped off by one last sighting on our way back to harbor. Immediately recognizable, a massive blue whale was traveling southwest about 6 miles east of the Farallones. It was moving remarkably fast and we only caught a glimpse of its blow off in the distance the second time it surfaced. With this fresh on our minds and a few scattered sightings on the way back, we pulled into San Francisco Harbor.
In total we witnessed:
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.