It was a sunny day when Earth Team interns at Pinole headed out to go whale watching in Santa Cruz! Starting bright and early at 8:30am, interns were able to meet up, grab breakfast, and get ready to go! After a one-and-a-half hour car ride filled with music, chatting, and plenty of naps, we arrived at the harbor in Santa Cruz, excited to start the day!
Since we arrived a little early, we were able to walk along the harbor, keeping an eye out for ocean critters! We were able to see a harbor seal, sea lion, great egret, anemones, mussels, and even a nudibranch! We used our observational skills to identify each animal, as earlier that week interns were able to have a whole lesson focused on the types of animals we might see! Before getting on the boat, we gathered around the picnic blanket to have a sandwich lunch, and load up on sunscreen.
After a short wait at the harbor, we were off! It was a full boat, and it seemed like everyone wanted to be out on the water, enjoying the sun. When leaving the harbor, interns were able to see another harbor seal, and find a spot on the crowded boat with their friends. Shortly after we got started, some whale watchers saw spouts in the distance- and we were onto our first whales of the day!
We ended up seeing eight different gray whales, and some of them were even displaying special behaviors! Because these whales have been fasting for extreme periods of time, the naturalists on the boat noted that they usually do not risk spending any extra energy. However, the whales must have been feeling playful today because they were seen rolling around on the surface. These whales were migrating back up to Alaska for the summer to find plentiful feeding grounds. We learned that gray whales roll around in the mud at the bottom of the sea, picking up sediment, then use their baleen to filter out the edible plankton and krill. We were even able to see and feel a real piece of whale baleen!
On our way back to the harbor, we were able to stop and see some sea lions as well. It was such a treat, because there was even one huge, rare Stellar sea lion in the mix with the typical California sea lions!
Overall, interns were incredibly grateful to have gone on this trip. It was every interns’ first time seeing whales in the wild! Some interns loved being on the water, some loved seeing new animals, and some were just glad for an excuse to get outside and be off their phones! No matter the reason, everyone was appreciative of such a fun and unique field day. We are very grateful for the Whale Tail grant at the California Coastal Commission for making this trip possible!
