Reports from Observation Post #10
Half Moon Bay, California, United States
Reports from the 2010 Season

Sherry and the Queen of Heartsa crew reported from their 50-foot sport fishing vessel:

May 2010

May 1: On May 1, as the boat was heading back from fishing late in the morning, they saw several mom/calf gray whale pairs heading north just above Pigeon Point, about 20 miles south of our harbor in Half Moon Bay. He says he's been seeing them for at least the last month, but this was without a doubt the most he's seen at one time. Sounds like the big migration push is on with the moms and their two-ton little ones heading back home to Alaska. Lots of folks have been telling me they have been able to see whales from shore, which is a good thing because the weather on the ocean has been downright nasty at times this past month and it's not looking like it's going to settle down for at least a bit longer.

Our whale watching trips are over for the season as our fishing seasons have begun, so it sounds like now would be a good time to find some high bluffs overlooking the coastal waters to have a good chance of seeing the migration in high gear.

March 2010

March 27/28: We had spectacular trips last weekend (March 27 and 28). Sunday afternoon there were literally whales everywhere and in every direction around the boat...the most my husband said he has seen at one time in several years. A couple of them decided to swim right up alongside of the boat within about 20 yards so they gave folks a chance of a lifetime to see their unique coloration, scarring, and the "aroma" of their breath as they exhaled within smelling distance. Now we're back to fishing — so our whale adventures are over again until next season.

February 2010

Feb. 20: The rotten weather on the ocean this winter along with other obligations that kept us away from the boat, we didn't run our first whale watching trip until Saturday morning, February 20, and two more trips on Sunday, February 21. we also went out the weekend before last on Sunday, March 14. So far we've found whales on three out of those four trips, and we're scheduled for four more trips this weekend (March 27-28) which will be our last trips of the season as we will begin our fishing trips the first weekend of April.

The whales seem to be staying a little further offshore than they have been in the past at this time of year, but, as we'd expect, they are all traveling north.