May 24-25, 2008: Farallon Whale Watch Sightings

Saturday's trip started with a sighting of about 50 harbor porpoises under the Golden Gate Bridge. About 4 miles SE of the Farallones, a gray whale surfaced about 5 yards from the boat and did a slow and complete circle around the vessel. Everyone onboard got a great view.

As we came to within 2 miles of the Farallones, a single humpback whale surfaced about 60 yards from the boat and appeared to be feeding. It came close enough to where everyone had the priviledge of smelling its breathe.

We also encountered about 50 California sea lions, 2 Steller sea lions, and 10 harbor seals. Bird sightings included loons, grebes, shearwaters, pelicans, cormorants, scoters, oystercatchers, gulls, terns, murres, guillemots, auklets and puffins.

Sunday's trip encountered over a dozen harbor porpoises under the Golden Gate Bridge, and about 10 miles from shores we sighted a lone minke whale that blew once and disappeared. A gray whale was then sighted, and stayed with us for about twenty minutes, rising, blowing and fluking to everyone's delight.

Six to ten miles SE of the Farallones, there were humpback whales everywhere, up to 20 in all, including a cow-calf pair. Some of the whales breached from the water up to 4 times in succession. We stayed with this large group for over an hour as they rise to the surface, blow, and raised their flukes in the air.

On this trip we also encountered California sea lions, Steller sea lions, northern elephant seals, and harbor seals. Our bird sightings included loons, grebes, shearwaters, storm petrels, cormorants, oystercatchers, gulls, common and thick-billed murres, guillemots, auklets, and puffins.

In cooperation with Cascadia Research, the Oceanic Society sponsors long-term humpack whale research in the Gulf of the Farallones. Many of the whale watching trips include dedicated whale field researchers.

Naturalist led trips to the Farallon Islands and, weather permitting, the Continental Shelf depart from San Franciscoo on weekends May through November. Trips are filling up. Make your reservations today! Call (415) 474-3385. Or simply download our registration form and fax it to our office, (415) 474-3395. Or register via Acteva as offered at the bottom of the Farallon Islands schedule.

Check out our Adopt-A-Whale program. You can keep up with the life histories of individual Farallon Islands whales and learn their migration routes.