September 2021 Monterey Bay Whale Watch Marine Mammal Sightings List

Monterey Bay Whale Watch
List of Marine Mammal Sightings
in the Monterey Bay Region
September 2021

Note — This list includes reported sightings from Monterey Bay Whale Watch trips. Unusual sightings of other marine animals such as Leatherback Sea Turtles and Basking Sharks are also listed, in addition to unusual seabirds such as Albatross and Brown Boobies. California Sea Lions are mentioned only if numbers or behavior are of interest. Harbor Seals and Southern Sea Otters, which are seen on all whale watching trips, are not included in the list.

These sightings are copyright protected and may not be used without permission from Nancy Black. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use of this information is a violation of federal copyright law, and is subject to prosecution to the full extent of the law.

Date	#	Type of Animal(s)
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9/30 10 a.m.	10	Humpback Whales
	25	Bottlenose Dolphins

9/29 10 a.m.	8	Humpback Whales (feeding)

9/27 10 a.m.	11	Humpback Whales
	50	Harbor Porpoise
	1	Mako Shark

9/26 10 a.m.	15	Humpback Whales (lunge-feeding)
	50	Pacific White-sided Dolphins
	300	Risso’s Dolphins

9/26 9 a.m.	15	Humpback Whales (lunge-feeding)
	300	Risso’s Dolphins

9/25 10 a.m.	18	Humpback Whales (lunge-feeding)

9/25 9 a.m.	20	Humpback Whales (lunge-feeding, breaching)

9/25 8 a.m.	30	Humpback Whales
All Day	2	Killer Whales (Orcas)
	800	Pacific White-sided Dolphins
	1000	Short-beaked Common Dolphins
	25	Risso’s Dolphins
	500	Northern Right Whale Dolphins
	50	Harbor Porpoise

9/24 2:30 p.m.	8	Humpback Whales (group lunge)
	50	Harbor Porpoise

9/24 10 a.m.	24	Humpback Whales (lunge-feeding)
	2	Killer Whales (Orcas – including CA171B Fatfin)
	10	Harbor Porpoise

9/24 9 a.m.	13	Humpback Whales (lunge-feeding)
	20	Harbor Porpoise

9/23 10 a.m.	27	Humpback Whales
	300	Pacific White-sided Dolphins
	500	Common Dolphins
	100	Northern Right Whale Dolphins

9/22 10 a.m.	32	Humpback Whales (12 were lunge-feeding)
	1	Elephant Seal

9/21 2:30 p.m.	4	Humpback Whales

9/21 10 a.m.	1	Humpback Whale
	2	Killer Whales (Orcas – CA171B Fatfin and CA169)
	75	Risso’s Dolphins

9/20 2:30 p.m.	2	Humpback Whales (Aurora and Fluke Skywalker)

9/20 10 a.m.	14	Humpback Whales (including Ratchet, Aurora, and Fluke Skywalker)

9/20 9 a.m.	7	Humpback Whales
	2	Killer Whales (Orcas – CA171B Fatfin and CA169)
	50	Risso’s Dolphins

9/19 10 a.m.	29	Humpback Whales
	5	Killer Whales (Orcas – CA27s)
	200	Pacific White-sided Dolphins
	4	Common Dolphins

9/19 9 a.m.	26	Humpback Whales
	5	Killer Whales (Orcas – CA27s)
	1000	Pacific White-sided Dolphins
	100	Risso’s Dolphins

9/18 10 a.m.	13	Humpback Whales
	2	Killer Whales (Orcas)
	400	Risso’s Dolphins

9/18 9 a.m.	9	Humpback Whales
	2	Killer Whales (Orcas)
	200	Risso’s Dolphins

9/18 8 a.m.	27	Humpback Whales
All Day	600	Risso’s Dolphins
	55	Harbor Porpoise

9/17 10 a.m.	20	Humpback Whales
	1	Harbor Porpoise

9/16 10 a.m.	9	Humpback Whales
	50	Risso’s Dolphins
	10	Harbor Porpoise

9/15 10 a.m.	8	Humpback Whales
	2	Killer Whales
	1	Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)
	1	Short-tailed Albatross (rare!)

9/14 10 a.m.	23	Humpback Whales
	2	Killer Whales (Orcas – CA171B Fatfin, CA169)
	7	Harbor Porpoise
	2	Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)

9/13 10 a.m.	16	Humpback Whales
	2	Killer Whales (Orcas)

9/13 8 a.m.	18	Humpback Whales
All Day	2	Killer Whales (Orcas – CA171B, CA169)

9/12 1:30 p.m.	28	Humpback Whales

9/12 10 a.m.	10	Humpback Whales
	20	Risso’s Dolphins

9/12 9 a.m.	18	Humpback Whales
	20	Risso’s Dolphins

9/11 1:30 p.m.	16	Humpback Whales (breaching, lunge-feeding)

9/11 10 a.m.	12	Humpback Whales (cow+calf, breaching)
	50	Risso’s Dolphins

9/11 9 a.m.	21	Humpback Whales (cow+calf, breaching)
	30	Risso’s Dolphins

9/10 10 a.m.	19	Humpback Whales

9/10 9 a.m.	30	Humpback Whales (cow+calf, breaching, lunge-feeding)

9/9 10 a.m.	13	Humpback Whales
	15	Harbor Porpoise

9/8 10 a.m.	31	Humpback Whales (lunge-feeding, breaching, tail and pec slapping)

9/7 10 a.m.	51	Humpback Whales (tail slapping, breaching and feeding)
	7	Killer Whales (Orcas – CA51As, CA50B, CA49Cs)

9/6 10 a.m.	10	Humpback Whales
	120	Risso’s Dolphins
	8	Harbor Porpoise

9/6 9 a.m.	15	Humpback Whales
	200	Risso’s Dolphins

9/6 8 a.m.	17	Humpback Whales (breaching)
All Day	100	Risso’s Dolphins
	25	Harbor Porpoise

9/5 5:30 p.m.	3	Humpback Whales (breaching, feeding)

9/5 2:30 p.m.	9	Humpback Whales
	50	Harbor Porpoise

9/5 1:30 p.m.	8	Humpback Whales (breaching)
	50	Harbor Porpoise

9/5 10 a.m.	7	Humpback Whales (feeding, breaching)
	150	Risso’s Dolphins
	5	Harbor Porpoise

9/5 9 a.m.	10	Humpback Whales
	50	Risso’s Dolphins

9/4 1:30 p.m.	7	Humpback Whales
	20	Bottlenose Dolphins

9/4 10 a.m.	11	Humpback Whales (breaching)
	6	Harbor Porpoise

9/4 9 a.m.	12	Humpback Whales (breaching, friendly)

9/4 8 a.m.	15	Humpback Whales (breaching, friendly)
All Day	10	Bottlenose Dolphins
	30	Risso’s Dolphins
	20	Harbor Porpoise
	1	Black-footed Albatross

9/3 2:30 p.m.	4	Humpback Whales (lunge-feeding)

9/3 10 a.m.	7	Humpback Whales (lunge-feeding)
	2	Killer Whales (Orcas – Fatfin and CA169)
	50	Risso’s Dolphins
	11	Harbor Porpoise

9/3 9 a.m.	6	Humpback Whales
	2	Killer Whales (Orcas – Fatfin and CA169)
	50	Risso’s Dolphins

9/2 2:30 p.m.	5	Humpback Whales
	20	Risso’s Dolphins
	1	Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)

9/2 10 a.m.	13	Humpback Whales (lunge-feeding)
	14	Harbor Porpoise

9/1 10 a.m.	7	Humpback Whales (feeding, breaching)
	30	Risso’s Dolphins
	5	Dall’s Porpoise

Bottlenose Dolphins photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Bottlenose Dolphins (September 30, 2021)

Short-beaked Common Dolphin photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Short-beaked Common Dolphin (September 25, 2021)

Northern Right Whale Dolphin photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Northern Right Whale Dolphin (September 25, 2021)

Harbor Porpoise photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Harbor Porpoise (September 25, 2021)

Pacific White-sided Dolphins photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Pacific White-sided Dolphins (September 25, 2021)

Male Elephant Seal photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Views of dorsal fin, ventral pleats, and pectoral fin
from four lunge-feeding Humpback Whales
(September 22, 2021)

Male Elephant Seal photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Male Elephant Seal (September 22, 2021)

Risso's Dolphin photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Risso’s Dolphin (September 21, 2021)

Humpback Whale calf kelping photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Humpback Whale calf ‘Fluke Skywalker’ kelping
(playing with kelp – September 20, 2021)

KIller Whales CA27s photo by Daniel Bianchetta
KIller Whales (Orcas – CA27s – September 19, 2021)

Southern Sea Otter eating a crab (September 18, 2021)

Active Risso's Dolphins photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Active Risso’s Dolphins (September 18, 2021)

California Sea Lions relaxing (September 18, 2021)

Breaching Humpback Whale photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Breaching Humpback Whale (September 17, 2021)

Short-tailed Albatross photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Short-tailed Albatross (rare) (September 15, 2021)

Humpback Whale tail and Sea Lion
(September 13, 2021)

Killer Whale (Orca - CA171B - Fatfin) photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Killer Whale (Orca – CA171B – Fatfin)
(September 13, 2021)

Close encounter between Sea Lion and
lunge-feeding Humpback Whale (September 8, 2021)

Synchronized Sea Lions photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Synchronized Sea Lions (September 8, 2021)

Closeup of juvenile Humpback Whale photo by Daniel Bianchetta
Killer Whales (Orcas) Note slight orange coloration on
juvenile in foreground, CA51A4 (September 7, 2021)