The early part of humpback whale season in Monterey Bay and my birthday overlap nicely, so we now make a nearly annual April trip to go whale watching. This year we planned a three day trip in with some lovely down time in between THREE whale watching trips. Why three three trips? Mostly for the whales but also because I know there are multiple companies that run tours on the bay, of which I’ve tried a couple. Since I knew I was going to do an issue or two of Whale Tales and Glitter about whale watching, this gave me a chance [excuse?] to try a company I’d been curious about, and two I’d been out with before. My choice of companies was also dictated by the fact that they leave from two different points along the curve of the Bay.
Monterey Bay is large half-circle flows from Santa Cruz, CA at the north end to the city of Monterey on the south end. At the mid point is Moss Landing, home of several Marine Research facilities and a long standing fishing community. That midpoint is where the Salinas river flows into the Bay, opening out into the vast underwater canyon that makes Monterey Bay so special.
The main difference between Fisherman’s Wharf and Moss Landing as launch points is the depth of the water and the width of the Canyon at either point. Whales will often take advantage of the narrow end of the Canyon near Moss Landing to hunt for prey that can get trapped or confused by the narrowing walls. Meanwhile, not far out from Fisherman’s Wharf, the depth of the Bay drops quickly, giving the whales a whole lot of room to stretch their fins while they feed. Both are good locations for whale watching.
In the past we’ve driven down from the SF/Bay Area very early to make a 9 am boat, leaving around 6:30 am or earlier depending on traffic. It’s doable, but not ideal. We have done day trips, taking a 9 am, having lunch afterwards and driving home. It makes for a long day, but can be worth the effort.
We opted for a gentler trip this time, starting with an afternoon trip leaving at 1:30 pm so we didn’t have to rush, as much. With only a little bit of traffic we made it down with time to check into our hotel. We also lucked into an early check-in which meant we could drop the stuff we didn’t need for the boat off in our room. The hotel is a short, easy walk to the wharf and the dock and we made it with plenty of time to check in and hear the Pre-boarding safety announcements and crew introductions.
Our three trips were scheduled with:
Discovery Whale Watch, Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey, CA on Wednesday afternoon Trip Notes
Blue Ocean Whale Watch, Moss Landing, CA on Thursday morning Trip Notes
Monterey Bay Whale Watch, Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey, CA on Friday morning Trip Notes