2022. 7. 9 | Offshore San Diego

I joined Jim, Heidi, and Mike and went offshore for a wildlife tour. It was not a scuba diving trip. Instead, we looked for whales, dolphins, and critters under kelp patties from the surface.

We headed out from Mission Bay early in the morning, riding on a flat ocean under an overcast sky. We head north toward the outer ridge of the nine-mile bank, looking for whales. Before any whale showed up, we ran into a bait ball feeding frenzy with a pod of dolphins and many sea birds in the center of the action. The dolphins were running fast, slapping the water. Many jumped out of the water, spinning in the air before falling back into the water. We followed the dolphins in all different directions. After half an hour or so, as the dolphins headed further away, the ocean became quiet.

We then headed southwest, hoping to see some giant whales. Our search was unsuccessful. In the last few times, I have seen many whales in this area. I was a bit surprised to see none this time. Soon, the absence of whales was confirmed by the frustration in the conversion we heard on the radio among the whale-watching boats. Soon we came across a small kelp patty with lots of tiny sardines underneath it. Instead of jumping into the water, I only watched from the boat.

As we headed further south, a minke whale suddenly showed up from nowhere. We saw its dorsal fin and heard the blow. But it was only a blink of an eye before it dove down and disappeared.

We then turned southeast. This time the sun came out, and the wind picked up. Soon we saw another kelp patty. As seen from the boat, there was a molar near it, but soon it took off and disappeared. This time I jumped into the water. The surface temperature was 70F. The water looked blue but filled with a lot of salps.

We played around the kelp patty for a while and then headed south. We noticed many sea birds in the sky, flying in the same direction, the sign of another bait ball frenzy. We followed the birds. Before we realized it, we were in the center of the action. The seagulls, pelicans, and cormorants were all trying to dive in. The dolphins were coming in from all directions. We also saw a few large sea lion bulls joining the hunting. After a few minutes, the bail ball left the spot. Although the birds followed it, the dolphins stayed, playing not far from the boat.

Afterward, we headed east to the shore and soon were back at the loading dock. It was fun out on the ocean on a definitely dolphin day.