Summer is the peak season for Morro Bay whale watching due to peak tourism and humpback whales migrating along the coast.
“We never saw whales in free nature, so it was a new experience for us, completely new,” said Philip Schmidt, a tourist from Germany. “It was really amazing. We saw a couple of whales, some jumps.”
Morro Bay Whale Watching sees around 90 people each day on their tour boat during the summer. Over the past few weeks, Morro Bay Whale Watching Captain Dakota Osborne says they’ve seen even more humpbacks.
“Getting on multiple feeding frenzies where you have several humpbacks, dozens of sea lions, and seabirds all feeding on a school of anchovies together,” Osborne said.
Debi Muir, who is vacationing in Morro Bay from Southern California, says she and her husband spotted whales just half a mile from the coast.
“Great adventure. We saw at least a dozen whales,” Muir said.
According to the National Park Service, humpback whales are known for their acrobatic leaps.
“There was one that just kept jumping up and waving. It would go back down and wave. It looked like it was putting on a show for us,” Muir said. “A couple of them came towards us, so that was very exciting. Within 100 feet, very close.”
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 95% of all humpback whale populations were greatly reduced before an international moratorium on commercial whaling took effect in 1985.
“They are kind of one of the rare success stories, being pushed to the brink of extinction and making a comeback with protections,” Osborne said.
The whales are now protected by the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. NOAA says the two biggest threats that face humpbacks today are fishing gear entanglements and vessel strikes.
Humpback whale season typically runs from May to October.
Morro Bay Whale Watching is one of two whale watching companies in town.