An uncommonly large grouping of orcas for Northern California — roughly two dozen killer whales — were spotted by a whale watching tour off the coast of San Francisco last month. [Photo: Michael Pierson]
An uncommonly large grouping of orcas for Northern California — roughly two dozen killer whales — were spotted by a whale watching tour off the coast of San Francisco last month, likely gathered together to celebrate a successful hunt for sea lions or seals.
“I screamed ‘orca!’” recalled Michael Pierson, a Oceanic Society naturalist leading the tour, after noticing “those distinct dorsal finds poking out of the water.”The big group of whales was seen on May 7 near the Farallon Islands, about 28 miles west of San Francisco.
It's easier for whale-watching tours to see them in Monterey Bay because the canyon is so close to the beach, while the Farallon Islands require a miles-long boat ride from San Francisco, and the water still may not be deep enough there, Black said. “They’re the whale that most people want to see when they go whale-watching," she said, “you just don’t know when they’re going to be around.”
Black, who is also the director of the nonprofit California Killer Whale Project, said she's seen larger groupings of orcas than last month's two dozen but added that any sighting is special. As she spoke, she watched five swim together in Monterey Bay.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Two dozen killer whales spotted celebrating a hunt off the San Francisco coastThe unusually large group spotted near the Farallon Islands was possibly a meeting of six or seven families.
Read more »
Lightning sparks 3 small wildfires in Northern California forestThe fires, located in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest near the city of Big Bar, had a low rate of spread, officials said.
Read more »
‘I screamed ‘orca!’: At least 20 killer whales spotted off San Francisco coastAn uncommonly large grouping of orcas for Northern California — roughly two dozen killer whales — were spotted by a whale watching tour off the coast of San Francisco last month, likely gathered to…
Read more »
Man shot dead in San Francisco's Lower Haight neighborhoodA man was shot and killed Monday evening in San Francisco's Lower Haight neighborhood, police said Tuesday.
Read more »
Air India flight bound for San Francisco diverted to Russia over technical issueAn Air India flight from India to San Francisco was diverted due to a technical issue with one of the plane's engines and has landed safely in Russia's Magadan airport.
Read more »
Owner defaults on loan for two downtown San Francisco hotels'While the timing of this may appear less than ideal, we fully expect new ownership to come forth,' said Hotel Council of San Francisco President and CEO Alex Bastian.
Read more »