Whale to whale and whale to sea lion interactions on a spectacular day.
- Bob Perry
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
2025 10–23 SB Channel
Summer-like conditions prevailed. It was sunny and warm with glassy seas all day. Captain Dave and the crew returned to the same productive area S of platform habitat to find yet another day with abundant life. There were no dolphins seen today but we closely watched 16+ humpback whales and 600 California sea lions. Late in the trip, Captain Dave moved the boat over a giant surface anchovy school with a wonderful clear water and no predators.
On the NE edge of this hotspot there were easily 10 or more whales. The first group had 7 which consisted of 1 single and 2 “competitive groups” of 3 each. Each competitive group had 1 large individual, presumed female, and 2 slightly smaller adult whales, presumed males. There was lots of socialization, rolling around, swimming on the side, chasing, and other courtship-type behaviors. Nearby, there were several mobs of California sea lions with at least 50 animals in each. When the whales dove, so did the sea lions. When the sea lions returned to the surface, so did the whales. This yo-yo pattern was repeated dozens of times in front of our eyes.
Spouts in the E led us to the next group of whales and sea lions. There were 2 groups of 3 whales each, and, like before, given the amount of socialization we witnessed, we assumed there were 2 competitive groups. We saw lob tails, throwing of tails, spy hops, charging, and diving so close to one another that it involved body contact. Again, the whales and sea lions were up and down like yo-yo’s.
You never know what mother nature has in store.
Bob Perry