[CINC] CINC Gray whale observation

[GaryDel at aol.com]

It seems lately that whale watch reports and discussions at our various  
meetings have suggested that there are fewer Grays swimming north through  the 
channel this year. Certainly, my own observations from the Santa Barbara  boats 
have been less than spectacular.
 
However, during the last week of March I spent three days in Mendocino  
during a streak of perfect weather, no wind and endless visibility.    From town 
and from the cabin in which I was staying, I probably spent between  four and 
five hours purposefully scanning the waters for whales. During this  time, I 
counted 25 spouts.  Many of these seemed to be pairs with one spout  noticeably 
smaller than the other.  On two occasions five or maybe six  spouts could be 
seen in close proximity to each other.  All spouts I  estimate to have been a 
quarter to a half-mile offshore.  By the third day,  when I was looking with 
more intensity, I figured that I had never looked at the  ocean for more than 10 
minutes without seeing a spout.  All observed whales  were heading north. No 
boats of any type were seen anywhere during these  observations.
 
The frequency of these observations off the Mendocino Coast struck me in  
stark contrast to the infrequent observations of Grays that I have made recently  
in the channel. I thought I would mention this unofficial observation to my 
CINC  colleagues; I will be interested in your comments.
 
Gary Delanoeye



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