Skip to content
Oceanic Society
  • About
    • Blog
    • Contact
    • History
    • Our Team
  • Our Work
    • Blue Habits
    • Plastic Pollution
    • Climate Change
    • Sustainable Travel
    • Sustainable Seafood
    • Sea Turtle Conservation
    • Access to Nature
  • Take A Trip
    • Browse All Trips
    • Snorkeling Trips
    • Wildlife Trips
    • Family Trips
    • Volunteer Trips
    • About Our Trips
  • Whale Watching
    • Farallon Islands Whale Watching
  • Adopt
    • Adopt a Dolphin
    • Adopt a Whale
    • Adopt a Sea Turtle
    • Adopt an Albatross
  • Donate
    • Ways to Give
    • Become a Member of Oceanic Society
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
Oceanic Society
  • About
    • Blog
    • Contact
    • History
    • Our Team
  • Our Work
    • Blue Habits
    • Plastic Pollution
    • Climate Change
    • Sustainable Travel
    • Sustainable Seafood
    • Sea Turtle Conservation
    • Access to Nature
  • Take A Trip
    • Browse All Trips
    • Snorkeling Trips
    • Wildlife Trips
    • Family Trips
    • Volunteer Trips
    • About Our Trips
  • Whale Watching
    • Farallon Islands Whale Watching
  • Adopt
    • Adopt a Dolphin
    • Adopt a Whale
    • Adopt a Sea Turtle
    • Adopt an Albatross
  • Donate
    • Ways to Give
    • Become a Member of Oceanic Society

Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: May 28, 2016

Home / Blog / Farallon Islands Whale Watch Sightings: May 28, 2016

May 30, 2016 • Trip Reports

Share This

[IMAGE]

Saturday, May 28th, kicked off our 2016 Farallon Islands whale watching season—and we didn’t have to wait long to see our first whale. Within 5 minutes of leaving port, we came across two adult humpback whales feeding on anchovies near the Golden Gate Bridge. After a deep dive, they surfaced about 300 feet from the boat with one surfacing in front of the San Francisco skyline.

The humpbacks eventually followed the school of anchovies back out into the open ocean and we set off on our journey. The captain felt the waters were too choppy for a direct approach to the Farallon Islands so we traveled up the coastline towards Point Reyes. About 30 minutes into our trip, 200+ common dolphins surrounded our boat, leaping out of the water and riding our bow.

[IMAGE]

We continued our path north and came across more humpback whales by Double Point in Drake’s Bay. At one point four whales were visible from the deck and most of these sightings ended in a slow fluking up before deep dives.

[IMAGE]

Birdwatchers had an eventful day highlighted by a rookery just offshore near Alamere Falls. Hundreds of seabirds lined the rocky outcroppings including Brown Pelicans, Brandt’s Cormorants, and Common Murres.

[IMAGE]

We arrived back in port a little before 4:00pm and received a warm welcome from windsurfers and weekenders enjoying the sunshine on a glorious afternoon in the City by the Bay.

[IMAGE]

In total, we witnessed:

Marine Mammals

  • 11 humpback whales
  • 200 + long-beaked common dolphins
  • 10+ California sea lion & harbor seals

Seabirds

  • Brown Pelicans
  • Brandt’s Cormorants
  • Pelagic Cormorants
  • Double-crested Cormorants
  • Black Oystercatchers
  • California Gulls
  • Western Gulls
  • Common Murres
  • Pigeon Guillemots

Click here to see all the images from the trip.

Chris Biertuempfel

Chris Biertuempfel manages Oceanic Society’s California-based programs, continuing the non-profit’s tradition of ocean faring expeditions that began in 1972. Chris also 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.

Join our community.

Latest Posts

Oceanic Society Launches Traveler Plastic Pollution Offset Program

Read More
walking shark under coral

The Shark That Can Walk on Land

Read More

Sighting of Rare Leucistic Killer Whale at the Farallon Islands

Read More

Update Regarding COVID-19 and Oceanic Society Expeditions

Read More

Join our community.

Adventure awaits.

Request a Catalog
Become a Member

© François Baelen / Coral Reef Image Bank

Contact

Oceanic Society
P.O. Box 844
Ross, CA 94957

Whale Watching
1-415-256-9604

Expeditions & General Inquiries
1-800-326-7491

Office Hours

CA Office

Mon-Fri: 8AM–3PM
(PDT/PST)

DC Office

Mon-Fri: 9AM–5PM
(EDT/EST)

Navigate

  • Our Work
  • Take A Trip
  • Whale Watching
  • Adopt
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact

Legal

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Sitemap
footer-logo

© 2022 Oceanic Society. The Oceanic Society is a registered organization. Our Federal Tax ID is 94-3105570.

Website by Yoko Co

Scroll To Top