We get up earlier than usual to join a four hour whale watch excursion (check out gowhales.com, a great outfit). The motorized catamaran takes us out of the harbor, sea lions on the jetty

with additional areas occupied by cormorants, pelicans and assorted guano. Lots of sea-otters too, but we failed to grab a good picture 😦

Getting out of the bay and towards the open Pacific, we experience 6 foot swells but no motion sickness. And then, the first two humpbacks

one showing off for the folks on the Star of Monterey

And one for us…just magnificent.

We also saw one big guy rolling on his back and sticking both pectoral flippers high in the air (giving us the fingers?). Both of us too slow to grab a pic, sorry. However, I got a good one of “thar she blows”, up so close that I actually got wet…. much to the amusement of one of our guides who pointed out that collecting the mucus is how they non-invasively get DNA for genetic testing. In contrast to my approach they fly drones through the spouts, that clearly is less disgusting. And I have not yet even mentioned the smell…the mother of all bad fish-breaths! Well worth it though.

A final humpback treat-video (click on frame, then on play arrow)

Moving further out…… 24 (?) albatross, it apparently is quite unusual for this many of them to hang out together

And all of a sudden, the boat goes high speed to another area where ORCAs have been spotted…and here they are, a big male (note the larger dorsal fin), two or three female and a calf. These great hunters are fast, dive deep and do not always like boats in their vicinity. We are so lucky to see them up close.

This is the big male with our trusty companion boat for scale

Good by Orca video (click on the image)

RN: The whale watch outfit partners with Cafe Fina to give out cards with discounts to the restaurant. We decided to go but were disappointed the free appetizers we could choose from were not gluten free, a necessity for me; however, the owner brought a special appetizer for us: slices of home-grown heirloom tomatoes with basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar- delicious!

Our main courses were terrific- seafood perfectly cooked and accompanied by delicious sauces and fresh sautéed vegetables from the owner’s garden (yum).

The owner, Dominic Mercurio, is quite a character and loves to regale his customers with stories of his life. You should go there and ask him about John Madden!

What a lovely end to our whale adventure!