04-25-2013 Humpback Feeding Frenzy Begins, Perfect Conditions

A mother and yearling humpback do a double surface lunge.  They did this about every 5 minutes for about two hours.  Photo: Sack 04-25-2013. 

Today was really spectacular out on the bay.  The humpback whales have entered the bay not too far out from Moss Landing to feed on the extremely plentiful krill. 

This is the pallet of a young humpback as it surface lunges through a dense patch of Krill.  As this photo shows, the palate is the underside of the upper jaw.  Photo: Sack, 04-25-2013. 

Fortunately for our lucky whale watchers today the krill was at the surface.  This means the whales come up with their huge mouths agape, showing off their baleen, and their massive throats bulging out full of krill-laden seawater. 

It was a great day.  The seas were as calm as could be.  The dolphins were awesome as well.  We have space on our 3 pm trips Friday and Saturday and still room on our 10 am trip Sunday.