Yesterday we talked about whales — Cow/calf pairs (mother/calf pairs) — traveling further offshore than the normal calf trail where we have normally seen the pairs heading past us. The image above is an example. In the foreground, just off the kelp, is a mother/calf pair with the calf blowing its little puff. In the background, highlighted with an orange dotted ellipse, is another cow/calf pair traveling a half-mile further from shore. The outside pair never approached the kelp.

These two pairs were entered as different groups. We tracked the first around Campus Point, and picked up the outside pair well east and south of Campus Point.

Further note: If traveling through the nearshore is part of a strategy by the whales to not be attacked by Killer whales, being further offshore may not be the best route choice. However, to date, we have not seen Killer whales in this area this year.

In addition to fourteen Gray whales that were all Cow/calf pairs, we saw lots of groups of Bottlenose dolphins; and not as many groups, but way more individual Pacific White-sided dolphins (AKA Lags): estimated total ~200 Lags. There were no Common dolphins.

We saw a Harbor seal in front of us, but none in the IV kelp. There were no otters that we could find today.

Gray whales northbound (all) 14 | Calves 7 — 2016 Count 944 | 64

Time Counting: 8h 0m

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