Pete Thomas Outdoors

Whoa Nelly! Another dolphin stampede off Dana Point

Dolphins often steal the spotlight during the whale-watching season, but rarely do passengers get to witness what's known as a dolphin stampede.

The accompanying footage, captured Thursday by Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari, shows what happens when hundreds, sometimes thousands of common dolphins decide as a group to rush wildly across the ocean’s surface, as if in a panic.

 

The company stated in a news release:

“Whale watchers aboard a catamaran with Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Safari  experienced a once in a lifetime thrill when hundreds of common dolphins, without warning or provocation, began porpoising at high speed out of the water.

“Often referred to as a dolphin stampede, this breathtaking behavior can happen at any time and without any apparent cause.  Porpoising is the fastest mode of travel for dolphins because there is less resistance in air than water.”

The dolphins are not panicked, of course, and are not in serious danger of being hit by the boat. In fact, common dolphins are famous for racing toward boats, bow riding, and surfing the vessels' wakes. But stampeding behavior takes this type of seeming playfulness to a new level.

 

In 2012, also off Dana Point, a more dramatic stampede was recorded by Dana Wharf Whale Watch. The footage went viral, with the video (posted above) garnering nearly 2 million views.

Many expressed outrage that the fast-moving boat was placing the dolphins in danger, when in fact the boat was inspiring their playful behavior.

–Pete Thomas

Rare 'albino' gray whale returns to Scammon's Lagoon, this time with a baby

By Pete Thomas

A gray whale believed to be albino has been documented in Scammon’s Lagoon in Baja California, Mexico, for the first time in at least three years.

The same whale was spotted in 2008 and 2009, as a juvenile. It might also have been spotted in 2013, according to at least one report.

This time, though, the white whale is traveling with her calf, who is not albino. (Both whales can be seen in the accompanying video, and a second video showing basically the same footage. The footage was captured last week.)

 

The whale’s identity was confirmed this week by Benito Bermudez, regional director of the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas.

Bermudez told BCS Noticas that the whale is albino, not leucistic, a condition also caused by a lack of pigment. However, nobody has provided photos showing pink eyes, which would prove that the cetacean is albino.

Bermudez said the whale was most likely born in Scammon’s Lagoon, known locally as Laguna Ojo de Liebre. He said there are only “three or four records” of albino gray whales worldwide.

About 21,000 gray whales feed during the summer in Arctic waters, and migrate to Baja California each winter to give birth and nurse their young.

The northbound migration is just beginning, and over the next several weeks more than 1,000 gray whale mothers and calves – the last to depart – will begin their 6,500-mile journey to and beyond Alaska.

Of course one whale will stand out among the others: the now-famous white whale from Scammon's Lagoon.

–Image is a video screen grab

Another Cabo Pulmo 'fish tornado,' another incredible image

 

Tori Hester marvels at the fish tornado; photo by ©Jeff Hester

By Pete Thomas/GrindTv

Jeff Hester was diving recently at Cabo Pulmo in the Sea of Cortez when he encountered a rare event described as a fish tornado.

Thousands of jacks had schooled tightly together and the massive “meatball” was spinning like a twister, leaving Jeff and his wife Tori “awestruck.”

The honeymooners were on their first trip to the renowned dive site, 60 miles north of Cabo San Lucas at Baja California’s tip.

The image was featured this week by National Geographic as its “Photo of the Day,” under the title, “All the Fish in the Sea.”

Schooling jacks comprise the fish tornado; photo by ©Jeff Hester

The image shows Tori Hester hovering just above the sea floor, slightly beneath the fish tornado, mesmerized by the  phenomenon.

“We were swimming along and saw a small band of jacks heading away from us, so we followed them,” Jeff described to GrindTv. “That small band slowly grew bigger and bigger until just off in the distance, this massive fish tornado appeared.

“I was awestruck. I had never seen anything like that before in my life.”

As a photographer, Jeff’s reaction was swift. He motioned for Tori to swim toward the tornado, so he could use her to provide a sense of scale for the image.

“I want to bring the viewer into the frame and imagine themselves as the human subject looking at this remarkable scene,” he explained.

Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park, beyond a remote section of Baja’s coast, is a vast system of reefs that has been protected from fishing since 1995, allowing sea life to thrive.


Several species of jacks breeze through the area, and sometimes swim in schools so large that they can blot out the sun for divers exploring the reefs or rocky bottom.

Another famous fish tornado image was captured at Cabo Pulmo in 2012 by Octavio Aburto, showing another diver, David Castro, in a “David and Goliath” pose next to the swirling mass of fish.

Aburto, a scientist, described the tornado phenomenon as a spawning event.

Related articles

Mexico tourist dies after whale strikes boat

600-pound mako shark caught from Florida beach

Hawaiian monk seal, rarest mammal in U.S., stars on a Kona night dive with manta rays

 

By Pete Thomas/GrindTv

Night divers off Hawaii’s Kona coast last weekend marveled not only at the giant mantas they had planned on viewing, but a critically endangered monk seal that interacted with the mantas and the divers for two nights.

It was magical experience from a purely aesthetic standpoint, given the gracefulness of the mantas as they soared in and out of the lights feeding on plankton, and the surprise appearance of an agile and curious seal.

But it was remarkable, also, because Hawaiian monk seals are critically endangered, numbering only 1,100. They're the most endangered mammal in the United States, and one of the rarest mammals in the world.

Most inhabit remote unpopulated islands northwest of the main islands, while only three are known to frequent Big Island waters, including a lone female: the interloper seen in the footage, Waimanu, who is pregnant!

The “never-before-seen” footage was captured by Manta Ray Advocates Hawaii photographers Martina Wing, Ryan Leinbach and Adam Fram.

Manta Ray Advocates Hawaii conducts night dives off Kona, at one of only a few global locations that predictably attract the gentle giants, which forage beneath the lights and create a surreal experience for scuba divers and snorkelers.

The group posted the footage to its Facebook page Monday night, inspiring viewers to share it on their pages and chime in with comments.

Wrote a woman named Renata: “Incredibly awesome, breathtaking images. Being the only female one on the Big Island, she must be a lonely seal without any girlfriends and about to give birth! Maybe she will come back with a pup?”

Added a commenter named Whitney: “This made me cry like a baby. Such an incredible thing to see. I can’t even imagine what it was like to see it in person!”

Many were curious about the lettering on the seal. It was painted by researchers, who catalog and monitor Hawaiian monk seals throughout the islands.

According to NOAA, Hawaiian monk seals can weigh nearly 500 pounds and measure about seven feet. They are one of only two monk seal species, the other being the Mediterranean monk seal. A third, the Caribbean monk seal, is extinct.

Hawaiian monk were hunted to the brink of extinction in the late 19th century, and unfortunately they’re still teetering on the brink, threatened by many factors, including changes in food distribution (mainly an issue for pups), entanglement in fishing gear, and human interactions on main island beaches, where they haul out.

Researchers are hopeful that Waimanu's pup will be healthy and live long enough to add to the population.

–Images are video screen grabs

 

Related articles

Divers share precious moments with baby humpback whale - then came the orcas

Epic clash between humpback whales captured in photos

By Pete Thomas/GrindTv

Whale watching does not often involve violence, but this week off Maui, Kate Cummings witnessed and photographed a bonafide clash of titans.

Specifically, several male humpback whales, weighing 30 to 40 tons apiece, fighting to establish dominance in the presence of a female.

This is the end of breeding season in Hawaiian waters, and brawls such as this occur, but rarely are they photographed in such vivid detail (note the blood materializing on the whale’s tubercles).

Cummings, a naturalist who runs Blue Ocean Whale Watch in Monterey, California, provided the sequence for this story.

She has witnessed all sorts of humpback whale activity during the feeding season off Monterey, but the fighting, she said, is far more typical in Hawaii.

“A few years ago I was out on a research boat in Monterey Bay and saw something that looked like competitive behavior–humpbacks chasing each other, doing head lunges etc.,” Cummings said. “I was informed it was most likely competitive group of male humpbacks pursuing a female. I was surprised to hear this since this type of behavior is mostly observed in their breeding grounds.

“But now after seeing what I saw [Wednesday] off Maui, I'm totally convinced it was a competitive group I observed years ago. The males were acting the same way–lots of head lunges (or head rises–whatever you want to call it), surfacing rapidly and rolling to the side in the direction of another whale.

“It was only this time though, that I got to see the bloody tubercles, which made it obvious these guys were competing aggressively.”

The whales now in Hawaiian waters spend the summer feeding off Alaska. The whales that visit Monterey each spring and summer to feed are nearing the end of their breeding season off Mexico.

Cummings was with Ultimate Whale Watch out of Lahaina. The engines were turned off so the only sounds were those of the battling humpbacks.

"They were far off at first, then surfaced next to us only about 50 feet away," Cummings said. "They were so involved in their brawl, yet totally aware of the boat and were able to dive down right next to us within just a few feet without touching the boat."

The images show one whale trying to push another downward.

Imagine the force of 40 tons of fury, then, and the strength required to resist such force.

Here’s hoping the best male humpback whale prevailed, and that the female was satisfied with the result.

–Images are courtesy of ©Kate Cummings and protected by copyright laws

Related articles

Divers share precious moments with baby humpback whale - then came the orcas

Shaggy the abandoned dog about to be captured - or is he?

Wisdom, world's oldest albatross, is a mom-to-be once more

Wisdom, who is at least 63, incubates her egg on Midway Atoll; photo by Greg Joder

By Pete Thomas/GrindTv

Midway Atoll, in the middle of the Pacific, is extremely remote but steeped in history.

It was the last link in a worldwide telegraph system that was launched with a message from President Theodore Roosevelt on July 4, 1903.

Midway was a landing site for Pan Am Clipper ships that ferried people across the Pacific. As a Naval Air Facility, it once supported more than 5,000 residents and, of course, the small coral atoll served as headquarters for the famous 1942 Battle of Midway, which turned the tide in the war against Japan.

But these days, with a staff of about 40, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is mostly associated with its remarkable wildlife, mainly its nesting sea birds, including the world’s oldest-known banded wild bird: a Laysan albatross named Wisdom.

Wisdom preens mate; photo by Greg Joder

Wisdom, who is at least 63 years old and possibly much older, has astonished biologists yet again by returning to the atoll and laying yet another egg.

It’s remarkable given that the average life span for a Laysan albatross is 12 to 40 years. These graceful soaring birds spend most of their time at sea and face many perils, including the ingestion of plastic they mistake for prey.

But Wisdom clearly is not a typical Laysan albatross. Every year it’s a surprise merely that she has returned, and perhaps the same can be said of her younger mate (Laysan albatrosses mate for life).

This year Wisdom’s mate arrived on Midway on November 19; Wisdom was first spotted on November 22. The laying of an egg was reported Wednesday in a blog post by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Pacific Region.

It states that Wisdom has raised between 30 and 35 chicks since being banded in 1956, when she was estimated to be 5 years old.

This marks the eighth consecutive year that Wisdom and her mate have successfully bred. Soon, it’s hoped, a chick will hatch, officially making Wisdom a new mom–again.

Not that any of the other albatross will notice, however. Midway boasts 70% of the world’s breeding Laysan albatrosses. The two islands that comprise the atoll are littered with birds during the fall-winter mating and incubating season.

Wisdom's chick from last year; photo by Dan Clark/USFWS

Hatching season typically begins in mid-January, and fledging occurs from mid-June through July. That’s also when the parents leave the nest, to spend the next several months foraging at sea.

Sounds like a lot to go through for an older bird such as Wisdom, but then what does a bird know about age?

Related articles

Great white sharks videotaped attacking plastic seal

Scientists capture rare footage of deep-sea anglerfish

Rare whale shark sighting documented near Catalina

Whale shark swims alongside Triton sportfisher

By Pete Thomas/GrindTv

The number of bizarre catches or sightings off Southern California continues to rise and on Sunday perhaps the rarest visitor to date was documented: a whale shark.

Whale sharks are the world’s largest fish, reaching lengths of 30-plus feet. And while these docile plankton-eaters are often seen by divers at destinations such as Hawaii, southern Mexico and the Sea of Cortez, they’re almost never encountered off Southern California.

The whale shark spotted Sunday, east of Santa Catalina Island, was estimated to measure 20 to 25 feet. It approached and even bumped the Triton, which runs from Long Beach Sportfishing, as anglers fished for yellowfin tuna.

 

“He was curious, almost playful,” Triton Capt. Ryan Gengler told Phil Friedman Outdoors Radio, which broke the story. “When he bumped into us, you could feel the boat shake. I could not believe my eyes.”

Like the tuna, and other exotic visitors this summer, the whale shark ventured far north of its typical range because of a wide swath of unusually warm water, stretching from southern Baja California into California.

Chris Lowe, who runs the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach, was asked via email how rare this event might be. The scientist replied:

“I’d say that is very rare for our neck of the woods. I have heard accounts of occasional manta, scalloped hammerhead sharks, and wayward tiger sharks, but whale sharks are pretty rare this far north.”

 

Whale shark swims into shadow of the Triton

Also on Sunday, an angler lost a four-hour battle with a blue marlin, another rare visitor to Southern California waters. Earlier this month, a wahoo was caught off Orange County.

That was another visitor from tropical or sub-tropical waters, and an extremely rare catch.

For nearly two months anglers have been catching yellowfin tuna and dorado at the offshore fishing grounds west of Orange County.

Whale shark bumps Triton

These fish sometimes venture into Southern California waters during late summer, but this invasion is the most prolific in several decades.

Sea surface temperatures off Southern California range from 70 to about 76 degrees, about five degrees above normal in many locations.

Many are crediting a developing El Niño, a warming in the equatorial Pacific, which alters weather patterns. The latest forecast from NOAA states that there’s a 60-65% chance of El Niño becoming fully developed during the Northern Hemisphere fall and winter.

In any case, the sea surface warming stems from a lack of coastal upwelling that is typical in late spring and early summer, and caused by strong winds.

When upwelling occurs, cool waters from deep in the water column are brought to the surface and chilling occurs.Without upwelling, the water warms and gates open for species that typically are found off Mexico and elsewhere in warmer climates.

Among other rare visitors to Southern California this summer have been Bryde’s whales, also called tropical whales, and pilot whales.

Unusual whales, dolphins you won't want to miss this summer

California’s summer whale-watching season has begun, and many are on lookout for gargantuan blue whales, which spend parts of summer and fall gorging on krill. Not to be overlooked, however, are numerous smaller whales and dolphins. But among these thousands upon thousands of cetaceans, only a small number truly stand out, so we’ve compiled a list of what tourists might watch out for during their next ocean odyssey.

5 whales, dolphins you might see off California:

Hook (blue whale, pictured above)

The peculiar shape of this mammal's tail fluke, most likely the result of a birth defect or an orca bite early in life, has inspired many nicknames. But "Hook" is the name that stuck, and when Hook is sighted news spreads rapidly via social media. Last summer, when Hook remained off the Los Angeles area for several days, one whale-watching business was ferrying media out for a look. Hook loves to raise its tail fluke high into the air before deep-water dives, and that could be because the mammal needs the extra body push downward to make up for the lack of power in its fluke. Spotted from San Diego to Monterey. Click for video.

 

Patches (offshore bottlenose dolphin; pictured above)

Name needs no explanation. Easy to spot among its gray pod members. Coloration ranges from various shades of gray, to pink and white. Spotted sporadically beginning in 2006, mostly off Southern California. Often seen with 50 to 100 ordinary bottlenose dolphins. Typically boat friendly. Spotted last week off the Los Angeles area. Click for video.

Delta (blue whale; pictured above) Another mammal made famous by the shape of its tail fluke, the ends of which are turned upward like winglets on an airplane wing. First known sighting was 1987 in the Gulf of the Farallones west of San Francisco. Early on, most sightings were off northern Central California, but in recent years Delta has favored Southern California waters. Click for video.

Chopfin (killer whale, pictured above)

Easy to discern because of its square and tattered dorsal fin, which was damaged several years ago, most likely, as a result of a net entanglement, and later shredded, most likely, by a boat propeller. Researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger calls him the poster boy for human interaction involving fishing gear and boat propellers. “But it doesn’t handicap him,” the researcher said. Spotted as far north as Washington and as far south as Southern California, but is usually seen off Monterey. [caption id="attachment_118426" align="alignnone" width="620"]

Kinko (blue whale, pictured above)

A large female named because of a distinct kink on the left side of her fluke. Also boasts distinct markings on her back, but easiest identification is when she reveals her fluke during deep dives in search of krill. Kinko is a mom; she was spotted in 2011 with a calf. Another crowd favorite. Spotted last week off Dana Point. Donna Kalez, general manager of Dana Wharf Whale Watching, said Kinko loves to fluke off the Dana Point headland. Click here for video.

–Pete Thomas, via GrindTv Outdoor

–Photos (top to bottom): Hook the blue whale by Alan Gibby/Zone57; Patches the offshore bottlenose dolphin by ©Melissa Galieti; Delta the blue whale by ©Frank Brennan/Dana Wharf Whale Watching; Chopfin the killer whale by ©Cody Martin;  Kinko the blue whale by Frank Brennan/Dana Wharf Whale Watching

Why are there no elk in central or southern Sierra Nevada?

In support of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Pete Thomas Outdoors, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly California Outdoors Q&A column:

Question: Why are there no elk in the central or southern Sierra Nevadas? It seems like ideal habitat comparable to that found in Colorado, but the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation doesn’t even show it as a historic range for elk. Is there some reason they could not and do not thrive in the high Sierras, or at least the foothills? (Nick C.)

Answer: It’s true that the historic range of elk in California did not include the Sierra Nevada range. According to California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Statewide Elk and Antelope Coordinator Joe Hobbs, historically tule elk were found in the Central Valley, coast range and the Sierra foothills, but did not occupy the higher elevation regions of the Sierra Nevada.

Previous studies suggest that the Great Basin, combined with the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges, served as a western barrier to the natural movement of Rocky Mountain elk (typically found in Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Montana).

Hobbs also says elk are slowly expanding in California and we have received reports of elk in various parts of the Sierra (Plumas, Sierra and even Tuolumne counties). Currently, California has three subspecies of elk. In addition to the tule elk of the Central Valley and foothills, Roosevelt elk are found in the north coast area and the coastal interior regions, and Rocky Mountain elk reside in northeastern California.

Although the Sierra does seem to be composed of habitat capable of supporting elk, historically this was not the case due to the topography of California. Tule elk were found in the Central Valley and coast range and evolved for utilization of these habitat types and not those found in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada. The Great Basin and various mountain ranges prevented the Rocky Mountain elk from dispersing into the western portion of the Sierra Nevada range.


Q: May I keep female Dungeness crabs if they are of minimum size? (Larry A.)

Rare killer whale encounter off Kona, Hawaii

Researchers off Hawaii's Kona coast on Friday documented a rare sighting of killer whales, including at least two that were playing host to hitchhiking remoras (see top photo).

There were four individuals in the group: a male, an adult female, and two sub-adults. Three of the four were outfitted with satellite tags, and a biopsy sample was collected from one of the cetaceans.

Cascadia Research Collective stated on its Facebook page that this was only its third killer whale encounter in the 14 years the group, which is based in Olympia, Wash., has been conducting studies in Hawaiian waters.

"These are the first satellite tags we've deployed on killer whales in Hawaiian waters, and we think the first tags deployed on this species in the tropical Pacific, so we are excited about learning where these whales spend their time," Cascadia stated on its website.

The 15-day research project ended Friday, but some of the scientists went back to sea on Sunday and re-located the four killer whales, plus three others, and witnessed a predation event involving a thresher shark.

Cascadia also posted a chart showing the movements of two of the three tagged killer  whales (posted below).

Cascadia added that there is no evidence of a resident population of killer whales in Hawaiian waters: "Whales seen around the main Hawaiian Islands are likely part of a wide-ranging population that inhabits the central Pacific.

"There are some physical differences from killer whales seen in Hawaii compared to the well-known populations along the west coast of North America. The saddle patch (the gray area below and behind the dorsal fin) is very narrow in killer whales in Hawaii, and not very bright."

Scripps Institution of Oceanography researchers also participated in the two-week tagging project, which also featured encounters with sperm whales, pygmy killer whales, false killer whales, Cuvier's beaked whales, and rough-toothed dolphins.

–Pete Thomas

–Photos: Top image shows killer whale with at least five remoras hitching a ride. Second image shows an adult female and a sub-adult. Credit: @Robin Baird/Cascadia Research Collective