Previously today off the coast of Monterey Bay, California, whale watchers experienced a “when in a lifetime container list sighting”– a pod of 10 Baird’s beaked whales. Baird’s beaked whales are the largest beaked whales in the ocean, however NOAA calls them “elusive and shy,” so this is an unusual whale sighting certainly.
Baird’s beaked whales live throughout the North Pacific Ocean, including the waters off the U.S. West Coast from California to Alaska. NOAA states they choose deep, oceanic waters below 3,300 feet versus continental racks closer to coast.
Monterey Bay Whale Watch composed in a social networks post revealing the uncommon whale sighting: “These extremely strange cetaceans are just seen a couple times in a year here in Monterey, sometimes going a year or more between sightings!”
Monday, May 13 was one of those uncommon, special days.
“While we were socializing with Humpback whales, our remarkable intern Deborah, and lead deckhand Cindy identified a cluster of brief puffy blows, and saw flukes and dorsal fins that were certainly not belonging to Humpbacks,” the post states. “We sat in the area for about 20 minutes waiting to re-spot them when a couple of team members and guests saw among the secret whales breach far in the distance! When we showed up to the location where we saw the breach, we rapidly confirmed our guess and ID ‘d them as the unusual Baird’s beaked whales.”
The same day, in addition to Baird’s beaked whales, Monterey Bay Whale Watch boats also found humpback whales and Risso’s dolphins.
Baird’s Beaked Whales
Researchers understand relatively little about this whale types, however they do know that these animals are incredible divers. Monterey Bay Whale Watch says these marine mammals can hold their breath for over an hour and a half. Baird’s beaked whales dive to the depths to hunt squid and deep-sea pelagic fish.
Off the coast of Monterey Bay, California, lucky tourists experienced a “once in a lifetime” rare whale sighting.