Pete Thomas Outdoors

Southland's most popular dolphin is named 'Patches'

A bottlenose dolphin with white blotches on its otherwise dark body and a pink-tipped dorsal fin has become famous among Southern California marine mammal enthusiasts.

This is because the peculiar cetacean, which stands out so glaringly among other, is easy to spot and only shows up a few times each year, making each sighting noteworthy.

But are some people getting just a bit carried away? The dolphin, named "Patches," was spotted this week off Dana Point and featured Thursday in the Orange County Register.

Mark Tyson, a naturalist for Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari, is quoted as saying, "When an animal is unusual, it's sometimes shunned. To keep seeing him year after year, and most recently with a dolphin right next to him, means he's been accepted as a member of the pod." (The first known sighting was in 2005 off Dana Point. Tyson is credited with giving Patches its name.)

David Anderson, who runs the landing, said Patches "seems well-respected" by other dolphins, despite its peculiar coloration.

Could this simply be due to the fact that Patches, who measures an impressive 12 feet, is a bottlenose dolphin, and because dolphins are not subject to prejudice, as humans sometimes are?

 

Whatever the case, Patches is a cool story, especially now, as marine mammal fans are in a slow period and await the showing of southbound Pacific gray whales, as they head to Baja California's nursing and calving lagoons.

Sightings of Patches have been made from about the California-Mexico border to Palos Verdes, with the first known sighting in 2006.

Anderson said Patches could be a hybrid: part Risso's dolphin, and part bottlenose. Risso's dolphins are large, like bottlenose dolphins, and are identifiable by their blunt heads.

Their bodies are dark gray with extensive white scarring, which sometimes makes them appear white while they swim just beneath the surface. They're often seen with offshore bottlenose dolphins, and share similar feeding habits.

Patches does feature white markings similar to those of a Risso's, but Patches appears to be piebald, or partially albino, with a face resembling that of a bottlenose.

Dr. Thomas Jefferson, a small cetacean expert, looked at the photo accompanying this story and said, "It could be a hybrid, but as you suspect, probably more likely to be just a bottlenose with anomalous coloration. The only way to be sure would be to collect a biopsy sample and do the genetics."

(It's worth noting that bottlenose and Risso's dolphins have interbred in captivity, and that some female offspring have proven to be fertile.)

Meanwhile, eyes remain peeled for more Patches sightings and, of course, for the first wave of migrating gray whales.

--Pete Thomas

--Photo showing Patches earlier this year off San Diego is courtesy of Melissa Panfili Galieti of Pacific Nature Tours

First-time marlin catch off Cabo San Lucas worth $2.4 million

Until arriving in Cabo San Lucas for last week's Bisbee's Black & Blue Marlin Jackpot Tournament, Dave Sanchez's most impressive catch was a largemouth bass caught in his home state of Missouri.

But on Thursday, the second day of the prestigious billfish competition off the Baja California resort city, Sanchez reeled in a 465-pound marlin that would earn $2,396,800 for his team aboard the yacht, Frantic Pace.

"I'm really starting to like this offshore fishing," Sanchez said at the awards ceremony on Saturday. "We had a lot of fun. It was a great team effort and I'm just glad we ran across that fish. We found one, caught it, and as luck would have it, that was all it took."

The payout was the second-largest in the tournament's 32-year history. The record year was 2006, when a $4,165,960 purse was up for grabs and the winner's share was $3.92 million.

At 465 pounds, the marlin Sanchez caught was not especially large. But it was the only marlin that met the 300-pound minimum qualifying weight, and because the team had been entered in all of the daily side jackpots, it claimed most of the overall purse.

Frantic Pace was one of 106 teams entered in the three-day competition, and it's probably the only team that's still celebrating.

As a side note, the marlin came within one ferocious lunge of escaping because the snap swivel connecting the reel's main line to the leader had opened toward the end of the battle. Only the quarter-inch bend in the swivel was holding the leader in place when the fish was reeled close to the boat. But crewman Josh Temple gently grabbed the leader and slowly pulled the weary marlin close enough to be gaffed, securing the million-dollar catch.

--Image shows Team Frantic Pace celebrating at the weigh-in of its 465-pound blue marlin

Diver's out-of-cage great white shark encounter is photo opportunity of a lifetime

When one of Daniel Botelho's images last appeared on this website it was a spectacular depiction of a giant mola mola, captured while searching for blue whales off San Diego.

(Editor's note: This is a reprint of a Pete Thomas post on the GrindTv Outdoor blog. All images are protected by copyright laws.)

More recently the photographer traveled to a remote island off Mexico to photograph great white sharks without cage protection, and returned with a series of captivating images he hopes will help dispel perceptions of white sharks as blood-thirsty killers.

Botelho was on an assignment for Disney but also served as safety diver during an odyssey to Guadalupe Island, during which passengers--only one at a time--were allowed to venture out of submerged cages and swim freely with full-grown white sharks.

"White sharks are like the Lion King," the photographer states on his Facebook page. "Predators, yes, but not psychopathic man killers."

Asked to provide more details, Botelho messaged back to say that he has been diving with white sharks since 2006, but this was his first time in the gin-clear waters of Guadalupe Island, which is located 165 miles west of Baja California.

Of his role as safety diver he said: "The safety diver is the guy that takes care of everybody in the water, a bodyguard of the guests, and that doesn't mean to be brave; not at all, it is much more about keeping a relaxed and peaceful interaction with the animals."

Three divers were outside of the cage at a time. Botelho, the expedition leader, and one guest. Botelho said he logged nearly 24 hours outside the cage during a two-week trip. He experienced no close calls with predators that can weigh up to 5,000 pounds and bite an elephant seal in half.

"The sharks are like dogs; you need to keep them calm," he said. "As dogs, they can get excited with wrong moves and unstable attitudes, so the trick is to keep the right attitude, transmitting tranquility and peace to the animal, so it can come really close but not try to touch the diver.

"This is the definitive proof that great white sharks are not man-eaters; people can live and interact with great white sharks, as long as they have the understanding of how the animal reacts and how to build a positive interaction with this magnificent creature!"

White sharks are specialized feeders and do not regard humans as prey, and most attacks on humans occur at the surface and are believed to have been cases of mistaken identity.

Still, they're wild and extremely powerful creatures, which is reason for pause when considering an out-of-cage experience.

Botelho said the divers sometimes had as many as six great whites around them at a time, all making close approaches, as if curious about the intruders.

"It was one of the best dives of my life and the experience as safety diver out of the cage was incredible," Botelho said. "It is much more than just taking photos; I learned so much more about how to 'read' and interact with those apex predators."

He labeled the 24 hours he logged outside of the cage during the final seven days of this odyssey as his own personal "Shark Week" and from now on for the photographer, the TV version will never quite compare.

--Pete Thomas

Hurricane Paul a major storm, may threaten Baja California

Hurricane Paul on Monday was upgraded to major hurricane status (Category 3), with sustained winds of 120 mph as the storm, which at 2 p.m. was located 415 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas, plots toward the north-northeast.

Cabo San Lucas has received abundant rainfall, but is not in the path of the storm.

However, a hurricane warning has been issued by the government of Mexico from Santa Fe northward to Puerto San Andresito on the wast coast of the Baja California peninsula (just north of Magdalena Bay).

A tropical storm warning is in effect north of Puerto San Andresito to Punta Abreojos.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Paul will weaken as it approaches land but is expected to remain at hurricane strength until possibly making landfall early Wednesday morning.

--Graphic showing Paul's projected path is courtesy of the Weather Channel

Loveland Ski Resort looking wintry as snow-making begins

 

 You know the skiing and snowboarding season is just around the corner when Loveland Ski Resort, perennially one of the first resorts in the U.S. to open, fires up its snow-making machines.

That began early Thursday morning, thanks to bitter-cold temperatures on the upper slopes.

In the description beneath the video uploaded Thursday afternoon is this statement:

"It typically takes about two weeks for Loveland's snow-making team to cover the opening day run with an 18-inch base and tree-to-tree coverage for the first skiers and riders of the season. Loveland started making snow on October 6th last season and opened on October 14th."

More cold weather, and perhaps a few snow showers, are in the forecast over the next couple of days.

--Pete Thomas

Playful killer whales dazzle boaters in Sea of Cortez

Boaters off the Baja California city of Loreto on Friday were treated to a rare and magical sight: large killer whales playfully riding in the wakes created by a 70-foot yacht they were riding aboard. Surprisingly, this same event occurred in June and involved the same yacht, which runs from Cast N' Reel Charters. The first two images are from Friday, amid a tropical storm, and the bottom two are from a sunnier day in June.

This type of behavior is common among some species of dolphins, and technically killer whales, or orcas, are dolphins. But killer whales, as a rule, do not bow-ride and wake-ride.

"It's extremely unusual to see something like this," said Alisa Schulman-Janiger, an American Cetacean Society killer whale researcher.

Ashley Ross, owner-operator of Cast N' Reel, said her father, Robert Ross, snapped the images, which have become incredibly popular on the company Facebook page. Ashley said the company has the area's only large charter yacht and that the images were captured beyond the islands outside Loreto.

"Before this, Loreto was mostly known for panga fishing [aboard skiffs]," she said. "We're the only company to offer yachts so we can travel out farther than the islands."

The company logs orca sightings three to four times a year, usually in late summer and fall, Ashley Ross said, but these sightings were the most incredible to date.

It remains unclear exactly what type of killer whales these are, Schulman-Janiger said. But they could be those loosely classified as Eastern Tropical Pacific killer whales.

Angler catches 722-pound blue marlin off Cabo San Lucas

A 722-pound blue marlin was caught Saturday off Cabo San Lucas, the latest in a series of huge game fish pulled from the waters off Baja California's tip.

Last week it was a 427-pound yellowfin tuna, which is expected to become an all-tackle world record. On Thursday a 75-pound roosterfish was caught just beyond the surf zone.

The marlin, believed to be the largest of the summer-fall season, was caught by Dave Smith of Atlanta, Ga., aboard Attitude Adjustment. The 46-foot yacht books through Pisces Sportfishing.

The catch is sure to pique the interest of big-money anglers entered in the Bisbee's Black & Blue Marlin Tournament, scheduled Oct. 23-27. A marlin of this size could be worth $1 million or more if caught during the competition.

Smith, 58, hooked the marlin on a Zuker lure about 11 miles straight out from Land's End, and his reel was almost spooled by the fleeing billfish.

He's quoted in a Pisces blog post as saying, "This fish came out of nowhere. It almost spooled us but we recovered line; it was a brute--every time we would get it as close as 20 feet, it would take off at full speed and rip off line."

Asked whether he considered releasing the marlin, Smith said the billfish turned sideways and died close to the end of the battle. "I think its heart exploded," the angler said.

Pisces also reports that a 600-pound marlin was caught off the Punta Lobos area a day earlier, by commercial fishermen aboard a panga.

Most billfish are released off Cabo, whenever possible, except during the tournaments, which require the release only of smaller marlin. The Bisbee's event penalizes anglers for bringing in fish weighing less than 300 pounds.

--Pete Thomas

--Image showing Smith with his catch is courtesy of Pisces Sportfishing

Angler catches 75-pound roosterfish off Cabo San Lucas

Palm Springs angler John Sato caught a 75-pound roosterfish out of Cabo San Lucas on Thursday morning, while fishing along the shoreline with Capt. Ivan aboard the panga Gloria.

Roosterfish are not considered good-eating and most anglers release them, but this giant specimen appears to have been kept for a photo opportunity, and perhaps for food.

Pisces Sportfishing's Mario Bañaga answered Ivan's request to come down with his camera and a brief story and two photos are posted on the Pisces blog.

The blog post states: "Captain Ivan got an early start, despite the rain aboard his 22 ft panga 'Gloria' with angler John Sato from Palm Springs, Ca. [Sato] hooked up this beauty just fifteen feet from shore, on a live caballito at Cerros de Arena. John took 40 minutes to subdue this huge rooster on a Shimano TLD 15 spooled withe 30 lb test line. The fish weighed 75 lbs."

It's among the largest roosterfish caught in years off Baja California Sur, but still pales to the all-tackle world record 114-pound specimen that was landed in 1960 in the Sea of Cortez near La Paz.

-- Image showing Capt. Ivan with roosterfish is courtesy of Mario Bañaga

RELATED

- 'Ranch' a master at catching roosterfish from the beach

'Ranch' hand a master at catching roosterfish from the beach

Baja California's East Cape region is special for many reasons. It's tranquil and remote. The desert landscape is beautiful and sunrises, over the vast Sea of Cortez, are often spectacular.

(Note: A version of this story apears on the GrindTv.com Outdoor channel)

But the region also is special because of an exotic-looking type of game fish that thrives along its shores: roosterfish, or pez gallo. This is the "Roosterfish Capital of the World," and during a recent visit it became apparent that Gary Barnes-Webb, a former professional hunter from South Africa, is the undisputed roosterfish king.

Barnes-Webb is general manager at Rancho Leonero, a secluded bluff-top resort named after the late wildlife cinematographer Gil Powell, or "the one who knows lions." The "Ranch," as it's referred to by regulars, is reachable from the highway via a long dirt road that traverses a desert in which horses and cattle range among towering cactus.

Roosterfish are like lions only in that they generally prowl in small groups. They're often visible from shore, their comb-like dorsal fins slicing through the water as they herd sardines and mullet. They sometimes chase these fish onto the sand. John Ireland, Rancho Leonero's owner, bought the spread decades ago after witnessing this unique spectacle.

Visitors are mostly Baja adventurers and fishermen. Anglers typically target marlin, tuna, and dorado offshore, but set aside a day or two to fish for roosterfish and jack crevalle, their close relatives, from aboard skiffs or cruisers.

(Roosterfish are caught only for sport, as their flesh is dark and oily, and because almost all of them are released, the fishery remains robust.)

Barnes-Webb prefers to "hunt" roosters from the beach, in his ATV. Like the roosters, the hunter first seeks schooling bait fish, which he catches with a cast net and places in a bucket, then he looks for the roosters in the emerald-green water in which they teem.

"There are two ways to fish," he says. "You either let the fish come to you, which is what you do in a boat, or you go after them, which is what I do from the beach."

Barnes-Webb had recently hosted pro golfer Nick Price, during a brief period when large roosters seemed to be everywhere, and were being caught at up to about 80 pounds by anglers aboard boats (the world record is a 114-pound specimen caught north of the East Cape in 1960).

Price landed and released a 65-pound rooster (pictured in second image).

During this expedition finding bait and, thus, finding roosterfish, was more challenging, but Barnes-Webb is persistent. He and two guests (including this reporter) roamed the coastline for parts of three days, finding enough bait to catch two or three fish per day.

We encountered ospreys, horses, cows, and pelicans, but the only people were sporadic groups of locals on the beach, and fly fishermen on ATVs, being guided by Jeff DeBrown. DeBrown said his clients can handle fish up to about 60 pounds, but larger fish are too powerful to be caught from a stationary position on the beach.

Fly anglers do surprisingly well, Barnes-Webb says, but not nearly as well as someone possessing live bait.

"Why try to fake them out with something artificial when you can give them what they want?" the roosterfish hunter explained.

Among the catches were a 29-pound jack crevalle, a couple of smaller jacks, and five or six roosterfish, all of which made for entertaining bar chat back at the Ranch.

-- Pete Thomas

Photos (top to bottom): Gary Barnes-Webb with roosterfish, Nick Price, Gary and Scott Thomas cruising in ATV, Scott with giant jack crevalle. Credit: Pete Thomas

Colorado resorts welcome early snowfall on upper slopes

Fall is definitely in the air in Colorado's high country ... and winter, too.

The accompanying image reveals spectacular fall colors in the Aspen-Snowmass region, but also a fresh dusting of snow that blanketed the upper slopes early Monday.

Snow and a mixture of snow and rain fell throughout parts of Colorado, and resorts were quick to spread the news.

"If this is a sign of things to come, you better dust off the skis now and wear your boots to watch the Broncos' game tonight," Jeff Hanle, spokesman for Aspen-Snowmass, said in a news release.

The Broncos are playing the Falcons on Monday Night Football in Atlanta, but the comment shows the level excitement generated by the first tangible snowfall of the season in Colorado, arriving about two months before most resorts expect to open for skiing and snowboarding.

The Denver Post reported: "Snow acknowledgments were passed along by Colorado Ski Country USA, Loveland Ski Area, Arapahoe Basin, Winter Park Resort and Copper Mountain, among other ski areas and resorts."

Some of the resorts received as much as an inch of snow, mostly above 11,000 feet, which qualifies as a significant dusting.

But, alas, the excitement might be short-lived as a prolonged dry spell is expected after the storm passes through on Monday night.

Nonetheless, this is a sign that the season is changing, and folks in much hotter parts of the country are probably envious. Having been baking for several weeks in unbearably hot temperatures in Southern California, I know I am.

--Pete Thomas

-- Image is courtesy of Jeremy Swanson / Aspen-Snowmass