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The Humpback Whale and
Whale-Watching Tours
About one-third of the world's population of humpback whales can be found in the North Pacific Ocean, and whale-watching is a very popular activity along the Pacific Coast from Puget Sound in Washington down to southern California and on into Mexico. This humpback's tail was photographed in Monterey Bay.Humpback whales are inquisitive creatures and will often come take a look at any boats in the neighborhood. There are thought to be about 70,000 humpbacks in the world, and anything from 10-25,000 of these in the waters of the North Pacific. Other whales are more common, like the blue whale and Pacific gray whale, but seeing a humpback breach the water is a sight that will stay with you the rest of your life. If you see humpbacks hitting the water surface with their flukes or their flippers, they're probably fishing. The effect of these slaps (a mature humpback weighs almost 80,000 lbs) is to stun the fish in the vicinity, making for an easy meal for the whale. Another fishing technique used by groups of humpbacks working together is known as bubble net fishing. The whales swim in circles while blowing bubbles, forming a ring that the fish are reluctant to penetrate. The whales close in and make the circle smaller and smaller, while other whales swim underneath to keep the fish trapped. Then suddenly the whales will break and swim right through the packed schools of fish, mouths open to swallow the rich pickings.
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