Migrating Gray Whale along California Coast 2017

After a long morning of heavy thick  fog and 5-10% visibility, the marine layer lifted just enough to see 17 whales pass along the coast in the afternoon.  At one point there was a total of 7 whales in 3 different groups  displaying nearly every whale behavior including, bubble blasts, spyhopping,  fluke swishing, rolling, pectoral fins, audible blows and  direction changes with mingling in different groups plus at times there was feeding behaviors with  watery sand spilling out of mouths. Towards late afternoon,in less than  25 yards of on shore visibilty , three scuba divers came out of the water   saying they had zero visibility under water and only saw the whales from the surface above water while under the fog layer themselves.

Scuba Divers in Heavy Marine Layer with Low Visibility

Scuba Diver

Spotting Gray Whales in heavy fog is difficult but not impossible as I learned today.  In  six hours I observed  four migrating gray whales in three separate sightings. Listening for the audible blows in  5 % visabilty helped me identify one whale  along with a very excited group of unsuspecting beach goers visiting from Echo Park.

Early morning clouds changed to mid day rain before finally moving south leaving rough choppy water and strong gusty winds.  Thankfully at least one gray whale was observed traveling north 500 yards out from shore on the northern migration  path. 

Today,  following the calendar command to “march forth”, the gray whales traveled through our observation area with speed .  The four hour sampling day ended with four whales in four stops along the coast at sunset displaying various gray whale behaviors including spyhopping, rolling, fluking  and spouting heart shaped blows. 

What a wonderful start to the month of March, seeing a gray whale breach on the  migration north with a view of the Catalina Island in the background! This whale was very active breaching 3 times as well as spyhopping, rolling and showing pectoral fins for several minutes before traveling through with another whale following close behind. I watched this pair travel through the sunline out towards Anacapa Channel Islands.

Finally the clouds have moved out leaving a clear view towards the horizon and the Channel Islands to the north and Catalina Island to the south,allowing maximum visibility to see the gray whales migrating north.  Today in the three and half hours I observed, two whales powered thru at top speed along with two separate boats also traveling at top speeds. Hundreds  of dolphins and shore birds  were seen stampeding miles out to the south and  nearly one hundred sea lions stampeded close to shore in a brilliant display of acrobatic synchronized hunting tactics.  Also seen today by a reliable eye witness (Pete) were  four  gray whales milling 250yds off the coast mid day. The giant ancient coreopsis are in full bloom all  along the PCH and at here is the view yesterday from Pt Dume. 

On this partly sunny 63 degree day with 65/35 percent visibility due to whispy clouds and heavy marine layer along the horizon blocking the view of both Catalina Island and  Anacapa Channel Islands, one gray whale observed heading south 250 yards out from the pinnacles and another was observed in the surf passing bath house 3 todayin the 2 hrs I observed today. Lifeguard Kyle (a reliable eyewitness) observed 4 gray whales heading south earlier in the day. The road going in to Pt Dume is still closed at Westward but the road repair to the storm drain is nearly finished. 

After over a week of heavy marine layer, wet rainy days with poor visabilty, today’s sunshine and 72 degree weather was welcomed.  Erosion from the recent storms damaged a large run off pipe under the road leading to the beach causing it to be blocked off until the repairs are finished. Dolphins frolicked in the late afternoon as the sun was setting, one harbor seal in the surf, several sea lions up on sea lion rock, a dozen or more  cormorants out on bird rock, a flock of sanderlings flitting along the tide line but not a one gray whale in the 3 hrs I observed today!