March 21,2025 Friday

12 North Bound 3 THIN 0 South Bound 7 hrs

Sunny 65 degrees Water 53 degrees Flat calm seas, hazy yellow smog layer at horizon. A large feeding frenzy of birds and common dolphins chasing bait, one mile offshore.

First sighting: thin juvenile Gray Whale traveled through stealthy.

Second sighting: pair that traveled through fast ~1/2 mile with no stopping.

Third sighting included another pair with one healthy adult and one shorter underweight whale with sunken concave spine indicating a loss of body volume.

The fourth sighting: third sighting pair of Gray Whales was joined by fourth sighting in Pirates Cove and the fifth sighting heading into the cove making 6+ whales in the area. The transect was filled with activity spread out and slowly moving along the shore with direction changes, head lifts, spyhops, back floating, rolling, sharking and sandy water spewing out of mouths. In the end after 40+ minutes one whale left stealthy, a pair left and fluked on the way towards the sun-line. Three whales remained active and close to shore stopping to roll and back float all the way along Westward beach to Zuma 1.

Sighting six: Solo Gray Whale in Pirates Cove after sunset.

The pairs traveled through stopping and mixing together at times. One whale with clipped edged of the fluke, another whale was thin with loss of body volume. At times there were popcorn blows trumpeting as they whales migrated along the transect and stayed close to shore.

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